Inevitable
by Inuyasha's Koishii
Summary: I'm back! A young,hanyou Kagome runs away from her past and into Inuyasha. Becoming friends almost instantly only to be tragically ripped apart, will they ever find each other again? InuKag. Some MirSan too.
1. Inuyasha

**EDIT: Here's the revised version of the first chapter. I'm still not completely happy with it, but I think it's much better than the crap I had up here before. As promised, chapter eleven will be up soon. -Naomi**

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**Disclaimer:** At least let me dream... -sobs-

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**Inevitable**

Chapter One

Inuyasha

The young boy sighed. He leaned against the back of a tree as he tried to relax. He had once again been forced from another home. His thoughts went back to the reason he'd had to leave.

There had been something killing off the livestock in the village he'd previously resided in. The villagers, being unable to find the reason for the destruction immediately threw the blame on him. He remembered them saying something about the curse of his demon blood. Yes, the said child did have demon blood flowing through his veins; however the boy was only a half demon. The young hanyou, Inuyasha.

Ever since his mother had been killed, he'd been out on his own, wandering from village to village begging for food and shelter. Occasionally, a villager somewhere would pity the child and give him some scraps or something else to eat. This, though, being only a rare occasion, he'd learned to fish and hunt small game on his own.

At this latest village, he'd been allowed to stay within the actual 'village limits' and be provided food, as long as he worked for his stay. He'd been happy beyond words. His joy was short-lived, however, when he'd been chased away after the villagers had tried to kill him and put an end to the "curse".

He hugged his knees to his chest and his eyes closed. He wasn't asleep. Now, he couldn't fall asleep. To sleep would mean certain death for the boy. He had to stay alert. His ears drooped as waves of sadness began to wash over him. These thoughts were not alien to the boy in the least. They made him think about his mother.

'_Mother...'_

It'd not even been a year since her death. It was still fresh in his mind. He refused, however, to give in to tears. In the short time he'd been on his own, he had learned that exposing too many emotions caused weakness. Weakness would mean your death. Had the occupants of his mother's village simply put up with him because he was the son of the princess?

"Keh. Probably."

It must have been true. They'd never been completely nice to him, nor had they been outright wicked to the child. That had changed the moment of her death. They treated him worse than they would their own cattle. They hadn't even let him come to his own mother's funeral—some saying that such an unholy being couldn't attend; she'd go straight to hell if her worst sin appeared when her soul was trying to be laid to rest.

He had simply waited until the ceremony was over to finally go and visit the grave of his mother. Unknown to the villagers of the village, she'd been buried in the exact spot that she had taken him to play on occasion. How ironic…

"Damn them!" he growled and punched his small fist into the bark of the tree.

So that he wouldn't push himself even closer to edge of crying, he immediately switched his thoughts to something else. He converted all of his sorrow for his mother to anger and hatred at everyone that had helped to change his life into his own personal hell. They'd never leave him alone, would they? No matter where he went, there would be no one else to love him or care for him. There had only been his mother, but now she was gone, and along with it went his childish naïveté and optimistic outlook on life.

His head snapped to the left when he heard a noise. His ears twitched in apprehension and he took a tentative sniff of the air around him. He tensed and his eyes went wide. The villagers were still following him! Hadn't he gone through enough? He hadn't even _done_ anything to them! He had to leave fast; they were going to find him _very_ soon if he didn't.

_**CRACK!**_

A rock whizzed by his head. How had they come up behind him without him noticing? He looked down to see that a pair of boys under the tree that looked to be a little older than him. The slightly chubby boy threw another rock at him, but this time he was prepared and moved quickly out of the way.

"Father! We found it! Come quickly!" two boys called simultaneously.

His eyes shot up when he heard more than just one pair of feet running towards the tree he was in. Now he was as desperate as ever to make an immediate escape. An arrow shot seemingly out of nowhere and grazed his shoulder. He hissed in pain. That, combined with the rock that met his skull in the village earlier, did nothing to help him think clearer. He was on the verge of panic.

"Leave me alone!" he yelled down, disoriented.

"You think us to be stupid, demon?" a man that held a crude bow and arrow set called up to him. They'd all made there way into the clearing now.

"We know of your curse on our crops! You even killed our livestock! After we let you stay in our village for so long…" another man accused.

"I didn't do anything! If I had wanted to kill something, don't you think I would've tried to kill you instead!" There was some murmuring amongst the group as they considered this.

His tiny bubble of hope burst when the first boy from before spoke. "You think that we will once again fall for your trickery?" He turned to the man behind him. "Do you not see what he is trying to do, Father? First our crops and livestock, and now he wishes to be allowed back into the village to curse or kill us as well!"

Now the other boy spoke. "Exactly! Will that not leave the women and children completely vulnerable to his evil deeds?"

The man's eyes widened as he realized the "truths" that his sons had bestowed upon him. He then turned to the rest of the men and placed his hands on his boys' shoulders. "Do you hear that, men? How could we have been so blind? We might've allowed this _murderer_ back into our village! We must take care of this vile beast before he can get to any of the other villages as well!"

While all this was going on, Inuyasha realized that no one was paying him any attention. He clumsily, yet surprisingly quietly, hopped onto a nearby branch of a neighboring tree. He continued in this fashion until he had reached a point where he could no longer hear or smell the crazed villagers.

He dropped to the ground and the base of a tree, his tiny muscles screaming for rest. "Stupid humans…" He didn't even have the energy to hop into the tree's lowest branch. He was too tired, too sore. He raised a small clawed hand up to where his head hurt the most. He wasn't too much surprised when his hand met something wet. He pulled his hand away to see it partially covered in blood. A stray thought crossed his mind then. _'Hope it doesn't get infected…'_ It was then that the urge to sleep washed over him. Whether from blood loss, or pure exhaustion, he didn't care; he was too sleepy now to fight against it. He was too out of it to even notice that he was exposing weakness—what he had vowed never to express. _"What did I ever do?"_ was his last thought before he finally slipped away from the real world and into peaceful oblivion…

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Well there ya have it. Is it better than the first time? Let me know with a...REVIEW! Nice reviews earn mo0fins! Don't you love 'em? They're homemade! If you wish to flame, know that they are appreciated as well--I'm using them to toast Kikyou and Kouga...mostly Kikyou.-insert evil laugh here- 


	2. Kagome

**Inevitable**

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha. He is allllll mine! Go away! lawyers shoot authoress w/ a tranquillizer gun

Chapter 2:

Kagome

Somewhere else not far away from Inuyasha, lie another young soul, resting in a tree. It was a girl- hanyou girl to be exact. She, going by the name of Kagome. Her ears twitched as she slowly pulled her knees to her chest and carefully wrapped her arms around them. Resting her head on her enclosed knees, she stared blankly forward, all conscious thought on what had brought her thus far. Her ears subconsciously twitched as recent memories flashed rapidly through her mind.

Flashback

_A young girl sat alone at the base of a tree on the outskirts of a village. She smiled a tiny smile as she watched the "normal" village children play. Yes, normal. Something she'd never be, for she was a hanyou. Hanyou weren't accepted by either race. Her small smile curved down a little before quickly gaining its original shape. She stood up and started to walk towards the group of children who seemed to be playing a game with a ball and stick. She knew what would happen when she asked if she could play. Some would scream, a few would just leave- usually not without a couple of insults, while the others would pick on her mercilessly and beat upon her young, half-demon body. Her ears drooped slightly at the thought. She KNEW this would happen. It happened almost daily, but the girl of six wanted nothing more than to make a friend. Her smile became brighter as she made it to the group. The game stopped immediately and a few gasps echoed in her ever-twitching dog-ears._

_"Can I play?" she asked, smile never dampening. _

_Immediately, four children waved their goodbyes, some grumbling. One girl muffled a scream and took off towards her hut. That left the three snickering older kids. Ears dropping just a little, she somewhat cheerily added a "Please?" This just sent the two boys and the girl into another fit of snickers. Regaining her composure, the older girl stepped up. 'Is she going to play with me!' Kagome thought happily. 'Maybe I'll finally have a friend!' Though, unfortunately to her dismay, the girl came over and roughly shoved her to the ground and spat upon her. _

"_What makes you think that **we** would want to play with the likes of **you**?" the elder girl sneered._

"_I just wanted to be friends with you guys!" She piped up happily, though faint pain could be seen shimmering in her eyes from landing on a rock._

_This just sent the boys into another fit of cruel laughter. They too walked up to her. _

_The eldest of the three turned to the elder girl "Hmmm…doesn't this seem familiar, Kikyou?"_

"_Why yes, it does Naraku," the girl now known as Kikyou answered. _

_They all turned towards Kagome. Fear sparked in her eyes before they were quickly shut tight. She clamped her ears down on her head, knowing what was coming next. The second boy, also the youngest of the three walked right over to her and sharply yanked on her sensitive ear. Her chocolate brown eyes flew open as she yelped in pain. Instinctively, she quickly pulled back, which resulted in yet another painful yelp. The boy -never letting go- hissed into her ear, "What did we tell you last time, **half-breed**? _

"_You tell 'er Onigumo!" Kikyou evilly cheered. _

"_Yes, mutt," Naraku spat. "What **did **we tell you last time and the time before that, hmm?"_

_She mumbled something incoherent while looking down at the ground. Kikyou, angry with this action kicked some dirt into her face. "**What**? I can't quite** hear **you, Mutt."_

_Her head was quickly snapped up when Onigumo gave another painfully sharp tug at her ear. She had to bite back a whimper, lest she'd get more of a beating than necessary. _

"_You were asked a question, Halfling! Now answer me clearly!"_

_Kagome's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked up at him. "You said that I am not to interact with other kids, that I'm not to mess up your games. I am nothing but bad luck because I am a half-breed. I am nature's most despised creation," she sniffed. "I will never be accepted by human or youkai, or among others like myself. For I am a cross between a miko and a youkai- something that only brings shame to all races with my tainted blood," she recited in a small voice, as a tear made a trek down her cheek._

"_Well, if you know all of that, then why did you come over to play anyway?" Kikyou asked wickedly._

"_Yes, Mutt. Why did you break the rules?"_

"_But! B-but I-…!" Kagome stuttered_

"_It's too late now. Guess we gotta give ya your punishment, huh?_

_Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it in submission. What was the use of talking back? It wouldn't help the situation, if not make it worse! She couldn't fight them because 1) She was untrained. 2) She was outnumbered. 3) It would make the villagers see her as an even larger threat, meaning that they would kick her and her mother out- or worse, kill them. Seeing no other option, she closed her eyes and her ears clamped down as they beat upon her tiny frame. She tried to think of something else in order to lessen the pain, but to no avail. So, there she lay, receiving blows from sticks and whatever else the three had. A semi-pleasant thought came to her mind then. At least with her demon blood, it wouldn't really hurt as much tomorrow…_

_And then it all went black._

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_She awoke sometime later to the smell of burning flesh and wood. She carefully, and painfully stood up, only halfway noticing that all the blood on her had dried and was caked to her skin. She turned and tried sniff out where the nauseating smell was coming from. … It was coming from the back area of the village. Then she heard an ear-piercing scream. Her ears immediately clamped shut as she winced at the pain laced within the desperate cry._

_Wait…_

_She knew that voice._

_It was the one voice that had always been there for her._

_The one voice that sang her to sleep._

_The one voice that told her that she wasn't a mutt, but a beautiful, young hanyou._

_The one voice that she always trusted._

_The one voice that she never wanted to be tainted with such pain._

_That scream was the voice of…_

"_No," She whispered._

…_her mother._

_She ran as fast as her short, beat-up legs could towards her hut, only to see it engulfed in flames. She had been prepared to go look for her mother, when suddenly it felt as though and invisible thread in her heart had snapped. She could no longer sense or smell her mother- only burning wood…_

…_and death_

_Tears pouring down her cheek, she spotted something. It was the doll her mother had made for her. Holding it to her chest, she bounded off into the forest- away from the pain. _

_End Flashback_

She sniffled, as yet more tears made its way out of her chocolate brown orbs. She hugged her knees to her chest tighter as she sobbed. Suddenly she heard a rustle in the bushes. Snatching up her doll she took off yet again. Not looking where she was going, she slammed into something hard.

"Owww…" Was all she could muster.

"Mmph!" she heard from underneath her.

Looking down to see what she ran into, she noticed it was a some_one_ not a some_thing _that she had run into. The figure was clad in a rough, red material. Her gaze slowly moved upwards and she then noticed his fangs and golden eyes.

'_Youkai_!' was her first thought. Then she saw the twitching little dog-ears upon his head. She gasped. '_H-he's a-..a h-h-hanyou. Just like..._

_...me._'

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Soooo…. That's all I got so far. I'm supposed to be doing my social studies project and my language essay, yet I am here writing this. It's 11:00 and I haven't even started on my homework! LOL. I KNOW Onigumo and Naraku are the same person, but for the sake of needing another "villain", I had to do that. So bear with me here, ok? Ok. You probably noticed the big difference in chapter sizes… yeah… I'm gonna go back and do the first one over again sometime during break. Questions? Comments? Flames of doom? Well, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Remember: Flames are used to toast Kikyou. flames self BURN KIKYOU! And good reviews get mo0fins! 

Ja ne!

Naomi


	3. Nice to Meet Ya!

Third Chapter and I would like to say: **EEEEEEEP! **-squeals in happiness- I got 7 reviews on the first day! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! -cheers- Sadly, I didn't get to toast kikyou. (No capital for her. She doesn't deserve it!)

Responses:

osuwariboy: uhh…yeah. They are kinda short. LOL Wow…already hooked eh? Hehe. Mo0fin for you!

Dragon boy 180: Thankies. Yeah, the rest of the gang will be here. I'm pretty sure I won't add them until later in the story though. Mo0fin for you!

Guardian of the Hell Gate: OO! Wow…THANKIEZ! I'll try to update quickly okay? Yes, very nice of you indeed! ♥ Mo0fin for you!

Kagome of Darkness: Thankies! –hands you a mo0fin-

melodie: I'm glad you like it! Yeah don't worry I'll keep going. mo0fin for you!

sleepinghanyou: yes… they are short. Ooo…I have another person hooked do I? YAY! Mo0fin for you!

Kitusune'sangelofflames: Arigatou! Yes, kikyou must die! –flames self- hehe. 2 mo0fins for you!

**Inevitable**

Disclaimer: Okay, seriously. If I owned Inuyasha, why in the heck would I be making a DISclaimer, let alone, a FANfiction! You stupid oafs…

Chapter Three:

Pain and Loneliness

Inuyasha had still been unconscious under the same when something quite heavy collided with his side. '_What the-...Owww…my head' _He dizzily tried to rise, but he came to see that that was impossible. Whatever had crashed into him had somehow managed to force him onto his back…and that it was still sitting on him. He heard it make a noise that sounded like "Owww". It was a young, feminine voice.

'_A young girl? Why is she out here alone? Is she one of the village children! Haven't they done enough damage?' _ he thought as another surge of pain went through his head.

He attempted a growl, but it came out as a muffled "Mmph!" The girl moved off of his face and he heard a gasp. His eyes narrowed and darted upward before widening in shock. He noticed the little ears on her head, twitching with anticipation. Why didn't he smell it before! She was a…a half-demon, just like himself. Pain suddenly forgotten, he stared into her eyes, as she was doing to his. Within each others eyes they could look into their souls and see the emotion swirling about.

Loneliness.

Pain.

They could see all of these things just by looking into the depths of each others eyes. They each felt these things. These are just emotions that come with being a hanyou.

The loneliness. Neither either had a family to go to for help anymore. No family to tell them that it would be okay. No family to laugh and play with. No one. Inuyasha had a half-brother, but no "family" to call his own. His father, the great Inutaisho, had died in the flames of a collapsing building. His mother, killed by the murderous men of the village- the same ones who'd been after him earlier… Kagome's father had disappeared shortly after her birth. She'd been told by the villagers that he'd been slaughtered, but she refused to believe that- always thinking positively. Her mother…had just died hours ago. She had a kid brother named Souta, but he had died two days after he was born due to some illness. Neither of the two had ever had friends either. Human children refused to play with them for being the "spawn of a demon". Youkai kids wouldn't play with them because of having "tainted blood" melding with that of that of their demon blood. They'd never be accepted by either race.

Pain. This was something they knew too well. Whether it be emotional or physical pain, it didn't matter. They were quite familiar with them both. The physical pain wasn't what really hurt. A few bumps and bruises here. A couple scratches or burns there. It was okay. Yes, it hurt, but their demon blood would quickly heal that. That which hurt the most, made the deepest scars, was the emotional pain. It wasn't an actual wound that their demon blood could heal rapidly. No. The emotional pain was what carved deep into their souls, leaving a forever growing scar. The words that they were abused with hurt them very much. Inuyasha refused to show it, though if you looked deep into his golden orbs, you could see it floating freely. You couldn't miss it in Kagome's eyes. Her emotions could be read like an open book. Though she always _tried_ to think positive, that didn't mean that she couldn't feel hurt.

After only moments of staring into one another's eyes, Inuyasha seemed to snap out his reverie. Growling, he jumped up and glared at the intruder.

"What the heck are you doing! Are you insane!"

He swayed a bit from the sudden movement, and fell to the ground right on his bum. Kagome hurried over to help him, only to have her hand slapped away. He growled at her, but she paid it no mind. Instead, a large grin spread across her face.

"Are you ok? My name's Kagome! You're a hanyou just like me! I've never seen another hanyou before! You're kinda cute! Are you from around here? Do you live in this forest? Do you live in this tree! Why is there a bump on your head? I smell blood. How did you hurt yourself?"

Unable to take anymore from the chattering girl, he quickly put a small, clawed hand to her mouth.

"Shh! Shut up will you! There are youkai around and you're practically _asking _them to come and get us! Is that what you want!"

His hand still on her mouth, she could do nothing but nod.

"Good." He said approvingly as he sat back down- gently this time. While doing this, he slowly processed all of her words that had tumbled out of her mouth. '_So her name's Kagome huh? **That's a nice name**…GAH! Where'd that come from! Wait…did she call me CUTE! Feh! Stupid girl. I ain't cute. Cute is for wusses and little girls…**like her**…KYAAA! I just met her! She could be like all of those rotten little village kids. Hold on…She can smell my blood? Oh yeah…I didn't wipe it off. But being a hanyou, she probably would've smelt it anyway, huh? Guess I ain't completely alone, eh?" _he thought with a slight smile. A muffled laugh shook him out of his thoughts.

Kagome had sat there the whole time he had been thinking to himself. She sat there –with his hand still on her mouth- and watched as different emotions played across his face. His face went from quizzical, to sweet, to shocked , to even more shocked, to pouty, to sweet again, right back to shocked, then all the way back to quizzical. Then his mouth formed a little "o" shape before turning into a tiny –_very tiny- smile. _She had to giggle at this. She found it to be rather funny…and quite cute! Inuyasha however was not amused, so he snatched his hand away from her giggling mouth.

"What's so funny girl?" he growled out.

"You are!" she responded between giggles.

"Feh."

It was then that Kagome remembered that Inuyasha was bleeding.

"Oh no! Where are you hurt? We've gots to cleans you off so's that the mean youkai don't smell your blood and come to gobble us up! Tell me so's thats I can help! "

Inuyasha looked at her carefully. He had only just met her. He wasn't so sure if he could trust her… but then again, she did have a point. The scent of his blood would most definitely attract hungry youkai.

"Fine, girl. I-"

"Kagome."

"_Girl._ I would do something about it, but as you can see I don't have anything here with me. Wait. Why are you even staying with me in the first place?"

She sighed. "I don'ts got a home no mores," she started as she ripped off some of her kimono, "and you seem kinda lonely…"

"Feh. I don't get lonely, baka."

Ignoring him she continued, "…so I figured that I could stay with you, ya know. To keep each other company. To help each others!"

"Feh. I don't need your help," he muttered as she looked at his wound.

Overcome by pure instinct, she licked his cut, as a pup would do for its sibling. Inuyasha was stunned, but she didn't seem to notice what she had done. She then took the cloth she'd torn from her kimono and used it as a bandage for him.

"There. All done. Say… I never did ask you your name. What is it?"

He said something inaudible, and so she asked him to speak up.

"I _said, _my name is Inuyasha!" he half-yelled in annoyance.

Kagome, not noticing or not caring about his annoyance, simply shined a big smile. "Nice to meet ya Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha just 'Fehed'. '_Nice to meet you to…Kagome'_

Well, that's all I have for chapter three! See, I updated ASAP as promised! –cheers- I'm sorry if this chapter was a little confusing… Right now I am dying. It's 1:00 am, I'm suffering from soda-withdrawal, I didn't finish my language essay (which was due today…), and…yeah. Excuses, excuses. I know… Oh well I need to shut up. REVIEW! All reviews are appreciated! Good reviews get mo0fins and flames are used to roast and/or toast kikyou! YAY!

Ja ne.

-Naomi


	4. Inuchan and Blushing

Hi everybody! I'm baaaack! Sorry, I couldn't update yesterday. My friends dragged me over to a sleepover and…yeah. I'm up to my 14th review! Yayness! –cheers- I ran out of mo0fins so…I'll be giving out co0kiez today! LOL

Responses:

Dragon Man 180ties kikyou to a stake- Yes, the rest of the gang WILL show up. I'm not exactly sure how yet…but they will! They're acting like siblings because they are little kids and they just met! co0kie for you!

sleepinghanyou- Thankiez! Yes kikyou should burn in…MY NEIGHBOR'S FURNACE OF DOOM! BWAHAHAHAAAA! A co0kie for you!

Carlene- Errr...yeah. I only made Kagome talk with the extra s's because it sounded cute and I just felt the need! SPUR OF THE MOMENT! co0kie time!

kitsune'sangelofflames- Hmm…fluff? Let's see… maaaaaybeeee….-then again-… maaaaaaybeeee not! LOL. -hands you a co0kie-

Kagome of Darkness- Heehee. Thanx! -tosses u a co0kie-

stand alone complex- Thank you! co0kie!

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"Speaking" 

'_Thoughts_'

'**_voices from within…'_**

Disclaimer: -Siiiiighhhh- Fine. I'll say it. I…OWN INUYASHA! BWAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA! –kills kikyou- AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!

Now on to the story…

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**Inevitable**

Chapter 4:

Inu-Chan and Blushing

It had been only a month since our little half-demon duo had met, and they'd been steadily growing closer. It was early in the morning and Kagome had just woken up…

"INU-CHAAAN!" she cried happily.

'_Again with the pet names. Arg.'_

' _**-sigh-** **You know you like her calling you that..'**_

'_Gah! Who are you!'_

'_**I'm that little voice in your head that you always seem to ignore.**'_

'_Ok…and what the heck do you mean I don't mind it! It's annoying!'_

'_**Awww, Inu-chan, you know that's a lie. You find it rather cuute…hehe**'_

'_...no I don't …'_

'_**What's with the hesitation then, eh?**'_

'…_Feh'_

'_**Feh…**'_

As Inuyasha's "conversation"ended, he slowly opened his eyes to see Kagome- their noses mere centimeters apart. This taking him by complete surprise, he yelped and nearly fell out of the tree branch he'd been sitting in. "What the hell are you doing Kagome!" he screamed as all the heat raised to his face.

She giggled and replied, "Nothing, silly! And you shouldn't say bad words…It's not nice."

"Feh."

"Feh," she mimicked.

Inuyasha, getting annoyed started to growl. This didn't stop her from giggling, it only quieted it a little.

"Shut up…" he muttered. She stopped giggling, but kept that bright smile on her face. He found that smile also…cute. '**_hehe…' _**It made her look adorable…actually even more so. The way her tiny baby fangs would poke out over her bottom row. He mentally kicked himself when felt a warm, fuzzy feeling surging through him and a blush finding its way to his face again.

"Hey Inu-chan, are you ok? You're turning all pink and stuff."

Embarrassed, he quickly looked away from her as an even darker shade of red shone profusely on his cheeks. "F-feh. M-must be you're…uh…imagination or something."

"No, it's not. See? You're getting even pinker… Now red…"she paused. "Why do you smell embarrassed? What's there to be nervous about?" she questioned innocently.

"Gah! I'm not embarrassed! It's just hot…"

"Nuh-uh," she shot back. "…Ohhh…I get it now."

'_Oh kami. She can't possibly know that I was thinking about her, can she? Oh kami-sama, I hope not…' _Inuyasha thought nervously. "W-Whaddya mean you get it now?"

"I get why your embarrassed!"

"O-oh?" '_Oh crap…"_

"You're embarrassed because…You wet your pants!" she ended with a fit of giggles. "That's icky, Inu-chan!"

"WHAT THE HELL!" he yelled confused and angry. "NO I DIDN'T, YOU BAKA!"

"You're right. I would've smelt it."

'_Well now that that's over…'_

"Sooo…if that's not it…Why are you so embarrassed?"

'_Or not. Crap.' _Inuyasha concluded. "Will you just shut up and stop asking me all these questions, wench? Come on, let's go. I'm hungry." With that, he and Kagome hopped out of the branch and onto the forest below.

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They'd been walking for about 15 minutes, and Inuyasha was starting to get annoyed. Kagome was usually happy and liked to talk –albeit sometimes too much-, but she hadn't said a word since he'd…since he'd told her to shut up. He'd even called her a wench. He had never called her that. He'd called her a baka and a stupid girl –though not really meaning it-, but had never really gone that far. He inwardly winced at the memory. Though annoyance still lingered, he actually felt…somewhat guilty. He took a glance at her and guilt pried at his heart even more. She wasn't smiling her bright smile anymore. He wanted to kick himself for being the one to take it away. Maybe he could… apologize…. 

In truth, Kagome wasn't upset. She was in fact, just doing what Inuyasha had asked. She wanted to see what he would do if she'd actually listen for once. She snuck a peek over at him and saw that his ears were drooping. Hers did the same at the sight, for seeing him sad, made her sad as well. Listening to him made him sad? How is that? '_I wonder what's wrong with him,' _she pondered sadly, still keeping quiet at his demand. '_What's wrong, Inu-chan?_'

When Inuyasha looked over at her again, he felt his heart wrench. Her ears had drooped over and she was sighing sadly. If that wasn't enough, the smell of her sadness was clogging his nose, making it almost hard to breathe. Not being able to take it anymore, he stopped walking. "Kagome?"

Hearing Inuyasha stop and call her name, she stopped as well and turned to face him. She cocked her head over in a quizzical manner. '_What's going on?' _she wondered.

"I just wanted to say that…that I'm…I-….Well, uh…I'm…" he struggled to say.

Head still cocked, she raised an eyebrow as if to say "_What?_"

"…sorry," he whispered. Though, it'd only been a whisper, Kagome's sensitive ears picked it up perfectly. SORRY! THE great Inuyasha had apologized! '_Did he fall out of the tree last night and hit his head? Oh no/ Wait…what's he even sorry for?' _Confused, she just stared at him longer, not saying a word.

Okay….Why was she just staring at him? He'd just apologized to her! Was it that astonishing that he had said sorry! '**_Yes._**' That annoying voice was back again. It was the only voice to be heard, because Kagome was still staring at him! The silence bugging him to no end, he finally snapped. "WHAT! Why are you just staring at me after I apologized! Aren't you going to say something!"

"…"

"Ugh! I don't get you! First you're all happy, then you get sad, and now you won't stop staring at me! I'm sorry I called you a wench ok! Now why won't you say something!"

" 'Cuz you told me to be quiet and I listened." she replied sweetly. Inuyasha just stood there, mouth agape in unbelief. '_That's why she was quiet! I apologized for nothing?' _"So, if that's why you were quiet, why did I detect sadness in your scent?"

"I was sad because you were sad, Inu-chan. Why were you sad?"

"Feh. I ain't sad." He responded quickly as yet another blush stained his cheeks.

"Oh, yes you were."

"I was not! And stop calling me Inu-chan. It makes me sound like a little kid."

'_I didn't mean for it to sound that way…even if you are a kid… Why can't I call you Inu-chan any more?' _Kagome thought with a sniffle. The smell of salt invaded Inuyasha's nose and he knew that she was about to cry. He hated to see Kagome cry. It always made his heart want to cave in. Knowing that he was the cause of her tears, made him feel even worse.

"Kagome, don't cry! I take it back. You can call me 'Inu-chan'. Just please don't cry!" he cried out in a hurried effort to keep her from crying. It seemed to work because the smell of salt that lurked through the air disappeared almost instantly.

"Really?" she asked as another one of her beautiful smiles managed to dazzle him. He felt a slight tinge of heat on his face yet again. '_Why has she been able to make me blush so much lately!' _he asked himself. '_**Well…**' 'Shut up.'_

"Yeah, really," he said, trying to sound tough again. "Now let's go. We're almost to the river and I'm still hungry!"

As he turned to leave, he was suddenly bombarded with a wondrous scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms. He then felt something smooth and soft on his cheek. It was Kagome. She was…kissing…him. She…kissed him… '_Kagome…kiss…' _was all that his muddled brain could make out. True, it was more of a peck, and it had only been on the cheek… but it was **still** a kiss from Kagome. As she pulled away, he was still in a daze.

"Thanks Inu-chan." She smiled prettily and turned to lead the way to the river.

* * *

**End Chappie**

Well, ok. I attempted to put some fluff in there. They're little kids so I couldn't get too far with it. DUH. (like I'd write a lemon anyway –shudder-) Awww…Kaggy kissed Inu-chan! Yayness! I'm pretty sure that the rest of the gang won't show up till later. No, Kagome and Inuyasha aren't gonna suddenly fall madly in love. LOL. Have you noticed that Inuyasha has been hungry throughout this entire chapter? Hehe. Don't forget to review! Good reviews make me happy and get you co0kiez or mo0fins! Flames are only used to roast and/or toast kikyou! So it's great either way!

Sayonara,

Naomi


	5. A Quick Dip and Flower Necklaces

Ooo 20 reviews! I'm sooooo happy! –dances- I love you guys! ♥♥♥! I still haven't gotten to roast kikyou yet…(dammit) I bought more mo0fins! I'll be giving some out today! ♥ To clear everything up, I'm just gonna say that Inuyasha is about 10 and Kagome, about 7. Ok? Ok.

Responses:

sleepinghanyou: Thankies! ♥ Yes, **_Inu-chan_** likes Kagome! 2 mo0finz for you!

Kagome of Darkness: Thanx! –pokes cuteness- mo0fin for u!

INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWA: (love your penname) Thanks! Spread the little kid fluff! -GASP- I posted the next chapter! LOL. You gets a nice yummy mo0fin!

Dragon Man 180: O.O! Wow…you killed kikyou! That was my job! –sobs- LOL. Thanks! Umm…I dunno when he'll start to think of Kagome like that. Maybe after the others show up? Or before then…maybe this very chapter. I dunno.O.o; Sorry! 3 mo0finz for you!

kitsune'sangelofflames: -rolls in kawaii-ness of it all- Arigatou! I hope I got an ok amount of fluff in the last chappie for you. I'm not exactly a great "fluff" writer, but I like to read it! LOL I guess I'll find a way to stick the evil people in there. I'm not so sure I wanna add kikyou. That **_thing_** would probably ruin the entire story! -bleh- . But, yeah if I do put her in here, she WILL die! BWAHAHAAAA! Sorry kikyou lovers…wait….I'm not sorry. SHE SUX! X3 2 mo0finz for ye!

Kagome-KILL-kikyo: Thanx! You gets a mo0fin!

Kasatka: LOL. I received your review in the middle of writing this chapter. Thank U for liking my ficcy! Everyone seems to think its been cute… O.o; Their ages are 10 and 7, as I said earlier. LOL. -tosses you a mo0fin-

Dark-demon2156: You also reviewed when I was still writing this. LOL. Thank you! –chucks mo0fin at you-

* * *

"speaking" 

'_thoughts'_

'_**little conscience'

* * *

**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. –sobs hysterically- But I do own his DVD's, his posters, and his movies, magazines, his mangas, and some ani-mangas, and a plushie, and trading cards, and a puppet, and his…-THWAP- Inuyasha: ; Baka.

And so our story continues….

* * *

**Inevitable**

Chapter 5:

A Quick Dip and Flower Necklaces

Inuyasha and Kagome continued to walk for another 10 minutes, when they'd finally reached their destination. It was a beautiful crystal-clear river. Its cool waters flowed calmly towards the east. It reflected the sun's rays beautifully, sending an array of colors everywhere. Kagome found it to be quite breath taking. Yes, she'd been here many a time while with Inuyasha, but she could still not get over its wonders. '_It's so pretty…'_ she marveled as she stepped towards the bank. She sat down and pulled her skirt up to her knees as she stuck her tiny, clawed toes into the clear water below. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her.

The birds singing…

The wind blowing through the grass and the trees…

Animals in the distance…

The water gently flowing by…

Inuyasha slowly coming closer…

'_Inuyasha…' _She couldn't help it. Whenever she thought of the little male hanyou…she felt…wonderful. She felt safe…protected…loved. Love… This was something she had only received from her mother…but now… Thinking about him often gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling. '_My Inu-chan…' _Yes, these were awkward thoughts for a seven-year-old to be having, but she had them none-the-less. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt some of the fish coming to nibble on her toes. It really tickled, so she began to laugh. '_And to think…we came here to eat you. But here you are, nibbling my feet…'

* * *

_

Inuyasha had still been in a daze for pretty much the whole 10 minutes that they were walking. '_Kagome…' _She'd actually kissed him! He smiled a goofy grin (A/N: think: Miroku). His mind swarmed with thoughts of Kagome and nothing else. He was completely oblivious to everything around him. He felt as if he were drunk from her delicious scent, fragrant with vanilla and sakura blossoms. When Kagome had sat down, he hadn't even noticed that they'd reached the river. Ignorant to all but thoughts of her and the kiss, he kept walking at a slow, dazed pace.

Kagome returned her attention from the hungry fish, to her companion. She saw him with a silly grin on his face. She had no choice but to laugh at this. She called his name to ask him what he was so happy about, but he just kept walking- grin still plastered to his face. She tried again. "Inuyasha?" still no answer. '_Ok… why's he so happy?' _She giggled and turned back around to focus her attention back on the swimming fish. Then she heard him walk a little too close to the edge. She quickly turned back to him. "Inuyasha!...INUYASHA LOOK-…."

SPLASH!

* * *

Still walking, Inuyasha hadn't even noticed that he'd walked right to the edge of the river. He suddenly heard Kagome scream his name in warning…. "INUYASHA LOOK-…" 

SPLASH!

…a little too late.

Kagome couldn't hold it in. When Inuyasha fell into the water, she burst out into a fit of giggles. "That was hilarious Inu-chan!" she managed to get out between giggles. After a while, he still hadn't come up and she was starting to get worried. "Inu-chan?...Come on, Inuyasha. This isn't fun-…AAHHHH!" but she was cut off as two small, clawed hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her under the water's depths.

Almost immediately, Kagome popped back up screaming and yet laughing at the same time. Inuyasha came up about a second later.

"INUYASHA! WHAT WERE YOU DOING!"

"Feh," he smirked. "You deserved it. You didn't tell me that we were here."

"Hey! I tried to warn you, you big meanie! Besides I figured you would notice we were here! Why were you in such a daze hmm…?"

"Well I-…" he started. '_Damn. I can't tell her that I couldn't concentrate 'cuz I was thinking about her!'_

'**_He he…' _**his "little voice" laughed.

'_Shuddap.'_

"Well you….what?" she questioned.

'_oh , Kami-sama…'_ "Feh. I wasn't in no daze." He shot.

"….riiight." she said suspiciously. "Well then…are you still hungry? Let's go!" she piped up cheerfully, as she waded right back into the shallower area of the river.

Inuyasha blinked and cocked his head in a quizzical manner. (A/N: like a puppy! ♥) In his Kagome-ridden thoughts, he'd completely forgotten about his hunger. With a simple "Feh." He joined her.

* * *

They'd been going at it for about 20 minutes when they had finally caught a total of 4 fish. This was enough to satisfy them until the evening. 

"Wow! Lookie at the fish I caught! It's all sparkly and…Ohhhh! It's so pretty!" squealed an excited Kagome.

"Feh. Those are fish, and fish ain't pretty. Look at it. It's ugly!" Inuyasha barked.

"Awww, Inu-chan. How could you say something like that?"

"Hmph. Easily. Now, let's just gut these things. I'm hungry!"

"G-g-gut them?" Kagome asked, disgusted. "Ewww….but that's so gross!"

"Baka! You don't say it's gross when you eat it. What's so gross about blood everyone has it. All the meat you've ever eaten came from something that was killed. In which involved a lot of blood." He stated evilly.

The look on Kagome's face was priceless. "Ewwww…" she whispered –though Inuyasha heard her clearly- with a look of horror and disgust. '_I don't say it's gross when it's cooked because it tastes good and there's no blood! The smell, the look, the feel of the blood on my claws is…" _she stopped mid-thought with a shudder. "But Inuyasha…can you PLEASE do it for me? Its so yucky…"

"No. I've always done it for you. It's time you do it on your own!" he smirked. At this remark, Kagome resorted to her Plan B.

The puppy-dog face.

She allowed tears to form up in her chocolate brown irises as her ivory ears drooped. For extra effect, she even added the irresistible "lip-quiver". Though Inuyasha could still smell the salt, he just turned away. Her tears still pulled at his heart though, and her sad face…. '_Damn. I always fall for it… No. Not today.'_

Seeing his inner struggle, Kagome finally did the one thing that she knew would break him.

She started to whimper.

That one whimper was so…heart breaking…. So….devastating. '_Awww, what the hell? I give up!'_ "Fine you stupid girl! I'll do it! Just stop bawling " he cried dejectedly. Kagome's face immediately brightened and her ears twitched in happiness.

"Thanks Inu-chan!" she chirped happily.

* * *

While Inuyasha was busy with the fish, Kagome decided to go for a walk. It had taken several promises, a small fight, and one puppy-dog look to finally allow her to go on her own. She followed the river eastward when her eyes laid upon a open field. '_That's odd…but it's so pretty!'_ , she marveled. 

All she could see was an endless array of beautiful flowers. Flowers of all different shapes, colors, and smells were everywhere. It was an ocean of them! She subconsciously wondered why she hadn't seen this field before. '_I've never even been this way before.'_ she reasoned with herself. Sitting down in a patch of some sort of yellow flower, she began to make a necklace for her doll. "I wonder if Inu-chan would like one too…" she pondered quietly. Hands still at work, she looked towards the east once more, and noticed a group of mountains. '_Ooo… I wonder if I can get Inu-chan to take me on a trip up them one day. They look really cool...'_ "Would you like that, Kimiko?" she asked her doll. '_I'm talking to my doll…oooh….kaaay.." _

Ten minutes later she had finished to flower necklaces and was working on one for Inuyasha. She was quietly humming to herself when suddenly the winds picked up. '_What in the world…?'_ She sniffed the air and scanned the immediate area for anything suspicious. She caught the scent of a demon.

'_Oh no! A demon! I can't fight against a demon and Inuyasha's back at the river! What'll I do!' _She was about to scream when suddenly an unfamiliar voice caught her attention.

"Why hello. Aren't you a pretty one?"

-End Chappie-

* * *

Err…I decided to end it here because... Actually, I don't know why I ended it here. I guess this would be considered a cliffie ,eh? O.o? Take a wild guess who the demon is. Shouldn't be THAT hard. LOL. Well I gotta go. You know the drill. Review! It encourages me to go on! -starry eyes- Flames used to roast/toast/fry (whatever you prefer) kikyou. Thankies!

Ja.

Naomi


	6. A Mate?

Reviews! Yay! –dances- Sorry that this chappie was late! (explaination at the end) I probably won't be able to write as much now because break is over…(we only had 4 days – counting the weekend) Gomen nasai! Now for the mo0fins…

sleepinghanyou- LOL. Happy late b-day! –throws mo0fin-

Kagome of Darkness- Thank you! Here it is! –hands u a mo0fin-

Kasatka- LOL! No, the demon's not Sesshoumaru…(though I don't like who it is anyway…) Mo0fin? Why, but of course! –gives u a mo0fin-

Dragon Man 180punches kikyou- DIE! ♥ Evil eh? BWAHAHAAAA! Shippou?...err…no, I don't think Shippou would say that… Free mo0fin!

dark-demon2156- Thanx! –chucks mo0fin at u-

INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWA- heehee –does the puppy-dog pout- LOL -dangles mo0fin in the air- Come on!You can get it! Good doggy! –balances mo0fin on your nose-

kitsune'sangelofflames- LOL. thank u! Yes, we must kill kikyou! –hands u a giant box of weapons- Take your pick! –tosses u a mo0fin-

* * *

Recap: '_Oh no! A demon! I can't fight against a demon and Inuyasha's back at the river! What'll I do!' _She was about to scream when suddenly an unfamiliar voice caught her attention. 'She was about to scream when suddenly an unfamiliar voice caught her attention. 

"Why hello. Aren't you a pretty one?"

**

* * *

**

Inevitable

Chapter 6:

A mate?

Kagome slowly turned around to face the demon. What she saw shocked her. It was clearly a male demon, but… '_He's wearing a skirt! What's with him!'_ she thought, her fear somewhat forgotten. She noted his crystal blue eyes staring at her , and she slightly shivered at this. His jet black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he wore a headband to keep the remaining back. His scent told her that it was a young wolf demon. '_Wolf demon!' _(A/N: Ok. If you don't know who it is by _now…_)The demon's voice once again interrupted her thoughts.

"Why let me introduce myself, little lady. My name is Kouga, Prince of the wolf demon tribe. You see I live over there in those mountains." He introduced as he gestured over to the mountains that Kagome had noticed not too long ago. "You see, I was going on an adventure through the mountains…"

Flashback

"_Kouga!" a loud voice bellowed from a main cavern. "Come my son, I need to speak to you!" Seconds later, the young demon known as Kouga appeared in the opening. _

"_Yeah? Whaddya want?" the young prince asked his father snootily._

"_Kouga, as your father, I see it fit for me to tell you of what is to come. I shall not be in power for much longer and-…"_

"_What does that mean?" the prince questioned._

"'_Tis not important. What is important is that you will take over, becoming leader of the pack."_

"_Already! Yes! I've been waiting for this!"_

"_Ah, my son, don't jump to conclusions just yet. You see, you are not yet able to become pack leader."_

"_NANI! Why not!" Kouga yelled. 'What does he mean I'm not ready to lead the pack! Who does he think he is!' '**Well…your father for one…' '...**Shuddap'_

"_My son, you will not be fully respected without…"_

"_Without what?"_

"_A mate." His father answered._

"…_Eh!" Kouga squeaked. 'A MATE? Father doesn't really expect me to get a mate does he! All of the nearest packs have but the ugliest women, and I REFUSE to mate human scum!'_

"_Yes, my son. You are now 11 years of age. You are old enough to at least start courting a female."_

"_But there is no one suitable in any of the packs in the land! Besides! I don't want a mate yet! I'll do just fine without one!"_

"_Hmm… no one, eh? Then what about that Ayame girl hmm?_

"_Ayame?..." he quietly asked himself, momentarily forgetting who she was. Then, remembering as soon as he forgot, he shouted, "AYAME! NO WAY IN HELL! She is utterly obsessed with me! She's even killed two wenches who merely said that they liked me! There is absolutely no way that she will become my mate."_

"_I'm sorry my son, for if you don't find a suitable mate within one moon cycle, I will have to engage you to Ayame." His father stated simply._

"_Whatever. I won't ever marry that wench. I'm leaving. I'll be back sooner or later." Kouga responded, anger about to burst out at any moment. At that, he simply turned toward the opening of the cave and left. Moments after he left, his father turned to figures in the corner._

"_Follow him." And they did just that._

_The young prince had gone on a voyage through the neighboring mountains to let out his frustration. "Damn you father…" he seethed in anger. He was now currently heading towards an open valley when he decided to sit down for a rest. The two that had been instructed to follow Kouga were now currently hidden within a nearby bush. 'Are they really that stupid?' he asked himself. He rolled his eyes. "Ginta. Hakkaku. You guys can come out now. Do you take me to be that stupid? Did you seriously think I couldn't smell OR hear you?" he asked calmly._

_The two now, known as Ginta and Hakkaku tumbled out of the bush. They were actually SURPRISED that the young lord had caught them!_

"_Of course not, Kouga!" they chorused. "Never!"_

_Kouga merely laughed at their frantics. Suddenly a wondrous smell of vanilla and sakura blossoms hit his nose. _

'_What is that lovely scent? Whoever it belongs to must be a real beauty…' he thought to himself. '…she will be mine. She is the one who is worthy of being my mate!' _

_By now, Kouga had been quiet for a while, and the other two demons were slightly worried at his sudden silence. (A/N: -bleh- try saying that 3 times fast. )_

"_Uhhh…Kouga?" they questioned simultaneously. _

"_Stay here." he ordered. And with that, he was off, leaving the two in the dust._

End Flashback

"And that's when I came here, only to find the most beautiful girl in all the land!"

"Eh?..." Kagome squeaked. '_He wants me to be his…MATE! I'm too young! And…he's a full demon…'_

"Yes, you are to be my mate Miss…?" he asked, for he didn't even know her name.

"Errr…Kagome. I'm Kagome." She stated nervously. Kouga had been striding ever-so-slowly towards her, and she was starting to get scared.

"Hey, Kagome-koi don't be scared." He told her , smelling her fear. This didn't help however, because she only seemed to become more scared. She started to whimper -unable to scream- when he had gotten to her and was preparing to grab her around the waist. Her ears flattened down to her skull and her tiny claws dug themselves into the ground. '_Inuyasha!'_

(With Inuyasha…)

Inuyasha had been sitting there for a while now, and he was getting pretty sick of waiting for Kagome. '_Stupid girl…I shouldn't have let her go out at all. She's taking too long!' _he thought angrily. Suddenly out of nowhere, a horrid scent assaulted his nose. The scent of a demon and…Kagome's fear. Anger immediately left him as he bounded off to where the scent had come from. "Hold on Kagome! I'm Coming!"

End Chappie

* * *

Yeah, I know. It's really short. I had to stop because I haven't done my social studies project yet, and it's due tomorrow! I would've posted this yesterday, but we had a power outage. Only 3 houses did, and we got to be one of them. Yay… Review plz! Good mo0fin. Flame broil/roast/toast/fry/bake/whatever kikyou.

Arigatou!

Ja,

-Naomi


	7. More than Just a Friend?

GAH! I'm so-o sorry! I haven't updated in forever! I had another power outage -grrrrr…-.- , I had to do my social studies project, AND I had to go to a math competition. (Yes, a math competition. Leave my geekiness alone. --) Then I had to go to Destination Imagination for CT (once again, I tell you to leave my geekiness alone!) Then my freaking hard drive was COMPLETELY full! Grrr… I had to transfer it all to a new one! Ok…excuses are done… Now on to…

Responses:

Dragon Man 180: Thanks! –shoots kikyou with a grenade launcher- Ayame? Hmm… Ideas… mo0fin for you!

Sanoske-sama, Kiri-san, and Tesume-kun: Thank you! InuKag all the way! mo0finz for you! Jaro-chan: Sappy? -whaps you on the head.- Grrr.. -beats you with a mo0fin-

Kags14: Thanks. O.O! Oi, I'll change their ages soon! -cough-maybe-cough- Don't kill me! -hands you a mo0fin and flees into the night-

Megan-dawn: Thank you! …You reviewed three times at once… nice! -chucks 3 mo0fins at you-

Kagome of darkness: Arigatou. -gives you a mo0fin-

sleepinghanyou: thanx! -starts to madly chuck mo0fins at you- DODGE THIS! LOL.

INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWAY: Thankies! -pats your head and scratches your ears- Good doggy! ……O.O! My mo0fins! NOOOOOO! -smacks you with newspaper- Mine! Bad doggy!

Dark-demon2156: Why thank you! Update soon? …. O.o; Oops…Gomen…. hands you a mo0fin as an apology-

inuyashas hun: Thankies! Ah… cuteness… Being sugar high is good! It makes you think on your toes! So glad you like it! -gives you a mo0fin-

* * *

"speaking" 

'_thoughts'_

'_**conscience'

* * *

**_

Disclaimer: It has occurred to me that I forgot my disclaimer last time…-Gets attacked by lawyers-NOOOO! HE **IS **MINE! DARN YOU! -foams at the mouth- Mine mine mine…mine…. -growls-

* * *

**Inevitable**

Chapter 7:

More than Just a Friend?

Inuyasha followed Kagome's scent as he ran through the timber, pleading that nothing had happened to her. He couldn't bear losing his first and only friend. '_Hold on for me, Kagome…_' he thought desperately as he willed himself to run faster. The young hanyou ran as fast as his small legs could carry him towards the field that held his Kagome and whatever was spiking fear into her. '_Mine? No.' **'Hmmm…I beg to differ…'**_ '_I have no time for this! She's in trouble!' _he yelled at himself mentally. Finally, after what had seemed like hours, but in reality had only been mere minutes, he burst into the clearing, only to see a sight that made his blood boil…

* * *

Kagome was starting to get very scared. This wolf demon had basically come out of nowhere and dubbed her as his mate. She didn't want to go with him. She didn't even _know _him! She wanted to stay with Inuyasha! Her thoughts were once again interrupted by him trying to drag her away by the waist. 

"Kouga-sama, I really don't want to come with you. I've got to go back to my friend! I promised him I'd be right back!"

"No. You cannot go to this 'friend' of yours. I forbid it. I will be the only male you come to, for you are my soon-to-be mate," he told her simply as his grip on her increased.

He was really starting to hurt her. "Ow. Let me go Kouga-sama! That hurts!"

Not wanting to hurt his "mate" his grip slightly loosened, but he did not let her go. Kagome though, still tried to get away. She tried to rip her arm away from him, which only resulted in his claws digging into her skin, drawing blood. Though she was part demon, she still hissed in pain. Suddenly she looked up at the sound of snarling coming from where she'd entered the field. Even with his claws dug into her arms, her eyes brightened immediately. '_Inuyasha! You came!'_ she thought happily and relieved. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha couldn't hear her calling out to him over the sound of his growling. His snarls had only worsened when the smell of _her_ blood –_his _Kagome's blood- reached his keen nose. Eyes flickering red for but a fraction of a second, he shot over and gave Kouga a head-on punch to the jaw. "Who the hell are you!" Inuyasha hissed as he positioned himself between the wolf and Kagome. The full-demon spat a mouthful of blood upon the ground and stood, smirking.

"I am Kouga, soon-to-be leader of the wolf pack of the Northern Mountains, and I am here to take back this young lady as my mate," he stated calmly, the smirk never leaving his face.

"NANI!" Inuyasha yelled in shock. "She is NOT your mate and she never will be!" '_She's MINE!' _his mind hissed, though he didn't even notice that thought.

"She hasn't been claimed …and what's it to you? It isn't for you to decide anyway."

Inuyasha only growled in response.

"That's what I thought half-breed."

"Hey! Who are you calling a half-breed Kouga! If you haven't noticed I'm a hanyou too!" Kagome interjected from behind Inuyasha.

Kouga, suddenly realizing what he'd said, quickly tried to think something to cover it up. "Uhh… Gomen! I didn't mean YOU Kagome. I was just saying that he is a lowly half-"

"LOWLY? Well if he's such a _lowly_ half-demon, doesn't that mean he should be mated to one as well?" (A/N: Whoa….Kagome sounded kinda grown-up-ish right there O.o;) Kagome interrupted angrily.

Inuyasha was still quite pissed at Kouga for hurting Kagome, and the only thing holding him back from tearing this stupid wolf to pieces was the fact that Kagome was behind him. Leaving Kagome would mean that she'd be vulnerable. If this so-called 'Kouga' person had even the slightest chance, he could easily snatch up the young Kagome. He'd be darned before that stupid wolf took HIS best friend as a mate!

'_Best friend?'_

Yes. Kagome **was** his best friend…his **only** friend.

'**_Or maybe more than just a friend…'_**

At this, Inuyasha slightly shook his head and his growls raised a notch in volume. Kagome turned and was slightly confused at his actions, but still glared at the ookami that was…. Behind her! Kagome let out an "Eeep!" of distress, which instantly caught the attention of a certain hanyou.

"Kagome!"

-End Chappie-

* * *

Short? Yeah… the only reason I'm ending it here is because I just want you guys to know that I'm not dead (reasons above if you didn't read. READ, DARN YE!) and I want to start on another chappie!. I'll be updating better now…well I'll TRY. (See Katie, I posted the stupid, pointless, boring chapter. Are you happy now!) Well, I must get to work on chapter 8! So, for motivation, you must review! REVIEW! You get mo0fins…. Flames are used on kikyou, however you want! Roast it, Toast it, Broil it, Boil it! Woo! (I dedicate that to Robbalina! Woo!) Kill it! kikyou isn't a 'her' it's an 'it'. LOL. Sugar high? Yep! Wooo! 

Inuyasha: Dammit woman! Hurry up and start the next chapter! This chapter was a load of crap!

Me: Anything for you, Inu-chan! nn♥

Inuyasha: Eh! O.O;

Me: YAY! Wait…why weren't you at my birthday Inu-chan? It was on the twelfth and you said you'd be there, but you weren't! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Inuyasha:…..

Everyone else: u.u;

Me: It's okay! My reviewers love me and wish me a happy belated b-day don't you?

….

Don't you! Dammit! Just review! LOL j/k I love you guys! Ja!

Inuyasha:….uh bye?

Me: -drags Inu-chan away and works on chappter 8-

* * *

-Naomi 


	8. The Princess and the Nap

Tee hee hee! I updated! Huzzah! Are ye not proud of me? Yay! Y'all should be happy, because I felt VERY lazy today. LOL. Thank you for the b-day wishes! I WUV YOU GUYS! –huggles you all and showers you with mo0fins and co0kiez- ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ -.-zzZZZ –goes back to being a fat, lazy lard-butt-

Responses:

Dragon Man 180: O.O; A little violent aren't we, eh? LOL. A little violence never hurt anyone!...wait… forget that last bit. O well! –shoots a mo0fin at you-

Kagome of darkness: Hehe. Glad you still like it! mo0fin for you!

sleepinghanyou: Arigatou! n.n ♥! Grrrr… -grabs a mo0fin launcher and shoots them at you- WOOSHA! (my word!)

INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWA: ah yes. The oh-so-famous rivalry! Is this soon enough? Teehee. –gives you a mo0fin-

inuyashas hun: YAY! Thankyou! –gives you more mo0fins- I'm glad u like them! They're homemade!

Kasatka: Arigatou! YAY! GO INUYASHA! –throws mo0fins happily all around you- WOOSHA!

Jessa: Why thank you! n.n! –hands you a mo0fin-

eternal tears: Teeheehee! I wrote more! Not a lot… but more! Here's some mo0fins for you!

* * *

"speaking" 

'_thoughts'_

'**_little voice' _**or Inuyasha's little demonic side if you prefer.

* * *

Disclaimer: I may not own Inuyasha, but I am Takahashi-sama's high servant! Bwahahahahaaaa!

* * *

I dedicate this chapter to my friend Robbalina! Woo! …And to Dragon Man 180's request. n.n!

* * *

**Inevitable**

Chapter 8:

ThePrincess andthe Nap

Inuyasha was going towards the stupid demon (have you noticed that I don't exactly like Kouga?) when he suddenly scented MORE coming their way. Before he could reach Kagome, two brown-ish blurs sped past him.

"Kouga-sama!" The two exclaimed simultaneously.

A deep, throaty growl could be heard from Kouga, of who was obviously pissed at the two for ruining a moment. "WHAT!" he boomed. The two winced slightly at the tone of his voice before continuing.

"She's coming!" cried Ginta. (A/N: Can YOU guess who it is? LOL)

"We're sorry we couldn't stop her!" Hakaku chimed in.

"So we must go now!" the two chorused.

During this Kagome had been slowly inching towards Inuyasha, slightly surprised that she went unnoticed. She made it over towards him as he stood over her protectively. (A/N: He's pretty protective for a 10-year-old, no?)

"Who the hell are you two talking about! Who's coming! And why couldn't you stop her!" Kouga bellowed. (A/N: Not all that deeply of course. He's only 11. O.o)

"It's A-" they started, but were suddenly cut off.

A very loud "KOUGA-KUN!" rang throughout the surrounding area. Kagome and Inuyasha flattened their ears at the shrill cry.

"What the-…?" Kouga, Inuyasha, and Kagome questioned. They caught the scent of yet ANOTHER wolf demon. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's shoulder in a protective manner and growled. However, Kouga –after a second- recognized the scent and muttered an almost inaudible "Oh shit…" The two, ten year olds –Ginta and Hakkaku- nearly wet themselves as they saw a familiar whirlwind in the distance. Kouga blue eyes widened even more as quickly turned to Kagome. "I'VE GOTTA GO! I STILL LOVE YOU AND I'LL BE BACK FOR YOU ONE DAY, KAGOME! JA!" and with that, the three wolf demons ran off with their tails between their legs. (literally) Our two little hanyou just stood there for a moment in a semi-daze.

……

……

……

"KOUGA!"

The other wolf demon -that they'd momentarily forgotten- was heard yet again, as they pressed their ears down to their skulls. "What the h-…?" was all Inuyasha got out before the demon burst into the clearing. The young wolf demon was obviously very angry. They didn't even really have to look at her because they could already smell the anger emitting from her. Her red hair pulled into two ponytails on the sides of her head, as a flower rested beside one. She had similar apparel to Kouga, except that it was white and obviously made for a girl (A/N: Well, yeah. Duh. -.-; ). Her hands were balled into fists on either side of her hips as she glared at the two before her.

"Where is he! I know he was here because his scent's still fresh!" the little redhead yelled. "Tell me!"

"Tell you where who is? Kouga?" Kagome asked innocently. At this, the girl stomped towards her, as Inuyasha growled.

"Of course! Who else!" she hissed.

That's when Inuyasha cut in. "Why would we tell you? Who the hell ARE you anyway!"

She rolled her eyes. "You mean you don't KNOW?"

Kagome almost rolled hers, but did not want to be mean. '_Well DUH. Why would he ask if he didn't know?'_

"Well, even two stupid HALF-demons should know who I am." With this she was only rewarded with two glares and a growl. "Well," she sighed, as she crossed her arms across her chest, "guess not. I am Ayame! Princess of the Southern Mountain Ookami Clan! And I am here to find my promised mate, Kouga, Prince of the Northern Mountain Ookami Tribe! Now tell me where he is!"

Kagome silently pointed toward the direction that Kouga and the other two had fled. A small, evil-ish (A/N: yeah… I've been adding a lot of –ish nn;) smile crept onto her face. Without even thanking Kagome she took off once again. "KOUGA-KUN!" When she was out of sight, Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Uhh…"

Inuyasha responded with "Feh."

"Err…Inu-chan?"

"C'mon! Let's go! 'cuz I'm STILL hungry!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. " M'kay. I'm coming." She said as she stood up.

"Besides we gotta bandage your arm anyway." Inuyasha muttered. Kagome's keen ears ,however, picked it up. A dazzling grin lit her features as she bounded after the retreating Inuyasha.

* * *

**Five fish and a bandage later… (A/N: eh. e.O; I'm lazy. Leave me alone.)**

Kagome poked her full stomach and yawned. "Inu-chan…" she murmured sleepily.

Inuyasha looked down from his perch in a tree. "What?" '_Is she ALREADY tired? Jeez.'_

"Can I sleep with you?"

'_EH!'_

'_**Of course she can!'**_ Inuyasha cursed the hentai voice in his head. He couldn't believe what it was saying! He was only ten! Then again…

'_Not like that you dumbass.'_

'_**You wish it was'**_

Inuyasha slightly blushed and ignored that last comment.

"Please?" Kagome whimpered from below.

Inuyasha once again cursed his soft side as he quickly agreed to her innocent plead. Kagome smiled tiredly as Inuyasha scooted over to make room for her. She leapt up to his branch of choice and almost lost her balance. Inuyasha saw this and his tiny claws grabbed a hold of her rough fuku and pulled her up. She mumbled a "thank you" before reclining against the tree. Inuyasha scooted over a smidget (A/N: haha! A smidget!) more to make some more room for her, before reclining next to her. After a minute, Kagome found the tree to be uncomfortable, so she subconsciously moved herself to a more comfortable spot- Inuyasha's lap. Inuyasha tensed at her sleep-induced actions before relaxing. He allowed a small genuine smile to cross his face as his little fangs poked out. (A/N: KAWAII! n.n ♥♥♥!) Wrapping his small-ish arms around her frame, he pulled her to his chest. Suddenly becoming tired, he rested his head atop of hers and lay back once again. As he was slipping into peaceful oblivion, he didn't notice that he had murmured his thoughts aloud. "I love you, my Kagome…." He never noticed the tiny smile that appeared on Kagome's lips.

End Chappie

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Gah! Too much fluff! They're too young! It burns my eyes! This chapter was a little blah and kinda short. Actually, I was just being very lazy. n.n; I didn't even go back to edit it at all. Well, I usually forget, but today, I just didn't feel like it. And did you see all of the Author Notes I put in there? JEEZ! Tee hee! That little Ayame bit was for you Dragon Man 180! LOL. –yawn- I'm being consumed by my laziness! –falls asleep-…… -.o ? –yawn- Review plz. If you wish to flame, the torches are at your right, and kikyou is right down that hall. (Kouga too) If you review nicely, I might get off of my lazy butt to get you a mo0fin. … 

…

…Then again, I might just sit and sleep here for the rest of the day. Whatever. LOL. Sayonara! -.-zzzZZZZ

* * *

Naomi 


	9. AN: I need your opinion!

Okay my faithful readers (or not so faithful...), I'm doing a poll for the story.I must have your opinion! Should I skip a couple years in the story? Yes or No? Don't worry, the others will still be added regardless. Vote via e-mail or review! I need to know! Poll results will be posted on my profile.

♥ Naomi.


	10. Reminiscing

Eh...eh heh heh... -gulp- uhhh... hi? –hides in a bomb shelter- DON'T KILL ME! I had forgotten my password! When I had finally remembered it, whenever I tried to get on the site, it would always say " FF. NET: You have encountered a data encryption error. Please alert site admin." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I'm sorry! –is bombed, flamed, and poked to death- x.X Thank you SO much for voting people! Thanks to you, the story will... (drum roll please) ...skip a few years! Whee! (eight years exactly. Too far, I know, but bear with me) I would like to recognize all of my wonderful voters:

**Kagome of Darkness**

**Inuyasha's hun**

**Dragon Man 180**

**petit-88-peter**

**Vanya the Elven Maiden of the Valar**

**The Turmoil Twins**

**sleepinghanyou**

**AlphelionKnight**

**INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWA**

**dark-demon2156**

**alicia**

**natalie**

**southafricanfreak**

**Inuyashasgirly04**

**fg**

**gaurdiandemon**

**KRRgroovygirl13**

**roshyn77**

**kikyouhater**

**ABCgum**

**beloved light**

**Newfie Child**

**Priestess-ofthestar**

**momchi setsuko**

**Djoborne**

**yugifreak**

**and Somedaymydreamswillcome**

-sniffle sniffle- WAAAAAAAAHHHHH! I lub –sniff- you guys –sniffle- so –sniff- much! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! –sends you each an ocean of mo0fins-

This chapter is dedicated to you guys! Please don't hate me! WARNING: LOTS OF FLASHBACKS AHEAD!

* * *

"Hello"- Speaking 

"_Hello"- _Speaking within a flashback

'_Hello'_- Thoughts

'**_Hello'_**- Inu's demonic counterpart. ( n.n; heh heh)

"**Hello"**- Demon talking

_Hello- _Flashback

Disclaimer: Okay, it's FAN fiction. If I owned it, why the heck would I be posting a story here? I'd be somewhere else with a buttload of money!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Reminiscing

Inuyasha sat perched on a tree limb overlooking the local village. Using his hanyou senses, he surveyed the immediate area for youkai. Not sensing anything that would really be considered much of a threat, he leaned back to relax. His ears, however, were still twitching with anticipation at the slightest sound. He sighed as he closed his eyes and became engrossed within his thoughts...

Eight years.

It had been eight whole years since he had last seen her. She'd been his best friend. Actually she had been his _only_ friend at the time. They had been so close, having no one but each other. But that was all taken away. She'd been ripped away from him. It wasn't fair. Why'd she have to go? Even worse, as the memories flooded back he also felt drowned in the guilt that was just as fresh as it was the day he'd lost her.

/Flashback 8 years

_"Inuyasha!" a young girl called happily. "Inu-kun! Come quick! Look at these ones!" she cried while pointing to a patch of some yellow wildflowers._

_The boy known as Inuyasha was reclining against the base of a tree when he heard his name being called. He opened a golden eye and raised an eyebrow as he turned his head towards the girl. "Oi, Kagome. Don't you think you have enough of those old weeds?" he asked before opening the other eye and pointedly glancing beside her._

_She followed his gaze to her ever-growing pile of various flowers. She blushed before sighing and nodded her head in agreement. "Ah... guess you're right" Picking up her pile, she made her way over to Inuyasha before plopping down on the ground in between his legs and laying back against him. Inuyasha's face immediately went red (A/N: Not with anger... n.n) but he made no move to push her away._

_**'Heh heh.'**_

_'Aw, shut up.'_

_He was brought out of his short inner conversation by Kagome's hand waving in his face. _

_"Helloooooo...Inuyasha?" _

_When he did nothing, she proceeded to knock on his head. _

_"Inuyaaaaaashaaaaaaa...Anyone in there?" At this point, he seemed to snap back into reality and pushed her hand away with an irritated growl._

_"Quit that, girl."_

_She glared at him playfully. "Oh, don't you growl at me, silly puppy."_

_Before he could make a retort, he felt something rubbing his ear. His throat caught in his throat as he started to relax. All the rest of the world became muddled, for the sensation that that was causing was overwhelming. Kagome stifled a giggle rubbed his ear, trying to mind her claws so she wouldn't harm the delicate appendage. His left foot started to twitch as she continued._

_'Awww... Inu-chan looks like a real puppy now!'_

_Kagome smiled to herself as an idea popped into her head._

_"Hey, Inuyasha?"_

"_Hmmm...?" he questioned, still very much out of it._

"_Do you like flowers?"_

"_Mmmm hmmm..." he answered, though he had no clue whatsoever as to what she had just said._

"_Will you wear the flower garland I made for you?"_

"_Mmm hmmm..."_

"_Have you stopped being mad at me?"_

"_Mmmm hmmm..."_

"_Are you a silly puppy?"_

"_Mmmm hmmm..."_

"_Are girls the better than boys?"_

"_Yeah...sure..."_

"_And boys are just a bunch of poo-poo heads right?" At this point, she stopped rubbing his ear to see his reaction._

"_Yeah...-wha? No!"_

_Kagome laughed at the elder hanyou. "Ha ha! You said yes!"_

"_No I didn't!"_

"_Yes you did!"_

"_Did not!"_

"_Did too!"_

"_Did NOT!"_

"_Did TOO!"_

"_Did...oh forget it... GET OVER HERE!" Inuyasha yelled before jumping at her. Kagome squealed before quickly running off. The two hanyou children took off chasing one another through the woods._

_Eventually, Kagome reached a clearing, where she stopped to catch her breath. Her ears twitched at the sound of running water. 'A river... I could really use a drink right about now...' At this time Inuyasha was currently hiding behind a tree, making sure to be as quiet as possible. He began to sneak up on Kagome and was just about to pounce on her when..._

"_Ummm...Inuyasha what are you doing? I can smell you ya know."_

_Inuyasha scowled as he folded his arms over his chest before muttering, "Keh. Cheater."_

"_I heard that," she answered as she motioned to the two black fuzzy appendages atop her head. "Come on, I'm thirsty Inu-chan" she whined as she grabbed him by the arm and began to tug him away. _

_The sound of the water was getting nearer. The two half-demons came to a drop-off. They looked down only to discover that the river was far below them. Kagome growled lightly in frustration. She started to look around to see if there was any way to get down there. _

"_Inuyasha, you could at least attempt to help look for a way to get down there..." Kagome complained as she placed her hands on her hips, scowling._

_He rolled his eyes. "Oi, Kagome. Don't you think that we could-..." _

"_**SSSSssssssssssss"**_

_Both children immediately quieted. Their ears were straining to find out where the hiss had come from. Inuyasha remained still as he began to sniff._

"_**SSSSsssssssssss"**_

"_I-Inu-chan I-I'm scar-..."_

"_SHH!"_

_She choked down a whimper as she began to slowly back behind him. His small clawed hand grasped on to her arm as he pulled her to him securely. He growled trying to sound as threatening as a hanyou of his age could. Suddenly it was eerily quiet. Both hanyou were baffled as to why they couldn't hear the youkai any longer. _

"_I-Inuyasha..." a very frightened Kagome whispered as her ears began to fold back onto her head._

"_**HISSSSSSSSSssssssss!"**_

_Inuyasha had no time to reply or console her, for the giant snake youkai had shot seemingly from nowhere right at them. Kagome screamed as it shot towards them. _

**(-Siiiiiiigh- I wanted SO badly to stop it here, but I won't stop in the middle of a flashback. Plus I couldn't do that after a who-knows-how wait! n.n; Enjoy! )**

"_Kagome! Run!" Inuyasha ordered the frightened girl. "Get away from here! I'll lead it away!" 'There's no way I'm going to let you get hurt...'_

_She didn't have time to reply. 'Inuyasha...' In a split second the children took off in different directions before it could reach them. The snake youkai narrowed its red eyes when it saw its meal go off in different directions. _

_THUNK!_

_The youkai hissed in annoyance as a clod of dirt connected with its ugly purple head. He turned to see the eldest of the two yelling at him. "Over here, you overgrown worm!" _

"_**My pleasure..."** The youkai didn't hesitate to go in and attack the boy. Opening its jaw wider than physically possible, it dashed towards Inuyasha. Right before it could reach him however, he felt a sharp pain on his tail. **A/N: Umm...it's basically a head and a tail, so how about we say near the end of his tail? O.o; )**_

_He snapped his head around only to find that the female hanyou had sunken her fangs into him. Inuyasha must've also noticed because the next thing heard was, _

"_Get out of here you stupid girl! You'll get killed! Kagome!"_

_Before he could get up to try and save her, the youkai turned and snapped at him. 'Damn it! How am I going to help her!'_

_Kagome paid Inuyasha no mind as she sunk her fangs into the snake as well. "Leave Inu-chan alone!" she cried._

"_Damn it, Kagome! I told you to run!" Inuyasha screamed while trying to get to her. _

_The snake glared at her. He no longer cared for her to be a meal. **"Wretched hanyou!"** And with that, he flung her off his tail..._

_...And over the cliff._

_Inuyasha was in shock for but a split second before dashing around the snake and over towards the drop off. _

"_KAGOME!"_

"_INUYASHA!"_

_The girl was hanging onto an outgrowing branch for dear life. "Kagome give me your hand!" _

_She reached out her tiny clawed hand and looked down at the rushing water and sharp rocks below. She yelped as her ears flattened and she clenched her eyes shut. Inuyasha grabbed her hand and tried to pull her up. _

"_Kagome! Just don't look down! I'll pull you up!" Inuyasha tried to reassure the girl._

"_I- Inu-chan..." the terrified girl stuttered._

_Both children's ears perked up as they heard the slow movement of something coming towards them. _

_The youkai..._

"_Inuyasha...You have to let go of me! T-the youkai will get you if you don't get away!"_

"_NO! I'm not going to leave you, Kagome!" Inuyasha cried to the girl. Though he was a hanyou, he was still a child, but he'd be damned before he let her go without a fight!_

_Kagome, suddenly feeling very grown-up _**(A/N: Because the authoress says she can)**_ just shook her head and smiled a watery smile. 'I'm not going to let you die for me, Inuyasha...' Still smiling at the older half-demon, Kagome quietly whispered, "Don't forget me, 'kay?"_

"_Forget you? Whaddya talkin' about Kagome? Shut up and help me get you up!"_

_Kagome simply repeated herself, preparing to do what she felt was needed to be done to save her best friend (-cough-andcrush-cough-). "Don't forget me, please Inuyasha? Goodbye..." and with that, she sunk her tiny fangs into his hand. In pain and shock, Inuyasha retracted his hand, only to throw it back out a split second later. However, that split second had not been fast enough..._

_...Kagome was gone._

_Inuyasha couldn't even call out her name at first. He choked on his words. He felt something within him shatter as he stared blankly at the rushing water at the base of the cliff, trying to register what had just happened. "K-K...Kagome?" he questioned in a choked whisper. When reality had finally sunk into his shocked system, he was overcome with grief. He had to suppress the whimper that tried to claw its way out of his throat. Why did he lose everyone close to him? First his mother and now his... It just wasn't fair! His small claws had been digging into his palms, but he was too wrapped up in what had just occurred to realize it. _

"**_Sssssoooo. You are the only one left, I pressssume, Half-breed."_**

_Inuyasha's head snapped up when the serpent had re- announced its presence. When he turned to look at the smirking demon, all his sorrow fell away and was replaced with fury. He glared at the demon with tears in his eyes. Baring his small fangs, he growled at the demon. "YOU-...Y-YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED KAGOME!" And with that, he lunged for the demon blinded by rage and tears. _

_He didn't know what happened after that. He remembered hitting his head really hard before all went dark..._

_/End Flashback_

Inuyasha cursed himself for his weakness as a child. Had he only been stronger...faster... he could've...saved Kagome. He recalled how he'd spent days on end looking for her. How he'd passed out from sheer exhaustion. He hadn't found a single clue as to what could've happened to her. Even after all these years, he still hadn't stopped thinking about her... Who knows? Maybe she was out there alive somewhere. This is what he always told himself. Maybe she was out there looking for him! These thoughts always made him feel somewhat better...

SMACK!

Inuyasha was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of flesh connecting with flesh. He rolled his eyes at his friend of eight years' antics. Actually pitying the young women of this village, he jumped down out of his perch in the tree to save them from his perverted friend, Miroku. One more thought escaped him before he stalked toward the village to aid them...

_'I haven't forgotten you, Kagome. I will find you again. I swear it.'

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_

Gasp! Kagome's dead? I killed acompletely innocent child? -is pelted with various pain-inflicting objects- Gah! You have to see what really happened! It comes very soon! I can't update if you guys kill me! Whew. That was too close.

Oi. I KNOW it seems like my story is going way off track, but...yeah. It's all part of my GIANT ALL-MIGHTY DEVIOUS PLAN! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!

That wasn't much, but I think it was my longest chappie. It was kinda wierd and crappy too... I'll do better next chappie. I'm such a lazy bum. But it's okay 'cuz you guys love me, right? ...RIGHT? -.- hmph. Ah, well. Review please, my wonderful readers! Flames used to burn kikyou in hell! Although...lots of nice reviews have also been used for that purpose... She dies either way so why not just send a nice one and get a mo0fin in the process!

Love y'all VERY much,

Naomi


	11. To Remember and Forget

-cowers in fear- DON'T HURT ME! –stares at army of mad readers with Elizabeth at the front- Oh crap… -holds up umbrella in defense- Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!Over half of thischapter has beendone FOREVER.Too many reasons for me not updating…they're not excuses…just rather unbelievable reasons (One being that my dad murdered my hardrive T.T). Well, let's just forget the little forever long lack-of-updating, ok? Okies.

**NOTE: **I will not be updating another chapter until chapter one is redone. I hate it with every last inch of my being.

Review responses are going to be at the bottom of the page instead of the top so you don't have to scroll so far to get to the story (and I wanted to try someting new. Fancy, ne?).

* * *

"speaking" 

'_thinking'_

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to all of you who put up with me and my slowness!

Disclaimer: No…it can't be true…he MUST belong to me! This can't be happening! –locks self in Inuyasha shrine-

* * *

**Inevitable**

Chapter 10

To Remember and Forget

A young woman could be seen walking along the river bank. She tossed a rock attempting to make it skip –it didn't- and then turned to sit on the ground by a warm, sunny rock.

"What a beautiful day!" she cried. And indeed it was. She laid down and lightly smiled as she gazed at the few passing clouds.

A couple of minutes later, she was about to fall asleep when suddenly she heard her name being called.

"Kagome!" A short pause. "Kagome?"

Kagome slipped on a playful smirk on her face before bounding off into the trees to evade her pursuer. A black dog ear twitched from within her raven locks.

Clip clop. Clip clop. Clip clop clip

The footsteps were getting closer. Listening closely, she could hear some mumbled profanities as well. She smiled a fang-y grin as she began to mentally count the seconds until her little follower would arrive below her.

'_Seven...six...five...four...three,'_ here she crouched down in a predatory manner, ready to pounce upon her unknowing "guest". _'...two...ONE...No-...!'_

"Oh there you are Kagome! I was afraid I'd lost you...again." said the voice of Kagome's pounce-ee **(A/N: Work with me here. Pretend it's a word)**.

Kagome pouted as she jumped down to . "Oh geez! You ruin all the fun, Sango."

**(A/N: Bet you thought it was Inuyasha, eh? Well...you probably didn't. Only my cousin was dumb enough to think that. -.-;)**

Sango smirked and rolled her eyes at that. "Kagome, what have you been doing out here anyway? You were _supposed_ to be getting firewood for the village...remember?"

'_Oops...heh heh. Guess I forgot...'_ Kagome thought nervously as she sweatdropped.

Sango closed her eyes and placed the palm of her hand onto her forehead and shook her head in a disbelieving manner. "Oi, Kagome. Can't you ever remember _anything?_"

Kagome suddenly found her feet quite fascinating as a sorrowful looked crossed her features. Sango's question still unanswered, her usually alert, erect puppy ears drooped with sadness. "G-gomen nasai..." the hanyou girl whispered quietly. Sango, hearing this, removed her hand from her head and opened her eyes to glance at the suddenly quiet girl. She saw the expression on her friend's face and wondered what was wrong. Before she could voice her thoughts however, she remembered her words toward the girl and her eyes widened. She shook her head frantically as she tried to get the girl's attention.

"Oh, Kagome! I-...I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I only meant-..."

Kagome cut her off. "No, no. Don't worry it's ok." She could see that Sango still felt bad for bringing it up, she plastered a fake smile onto her face. "Really, Sango! I know you didn't mean it! I doesn't bother me. I'm fine!" she tried to reassure the distraught girl.

"But Kagome.." Sango started. Kagome just waved it off.

"No big deal. Why don't you head back to the village? I'll be there with the firewood in a snap. You could help get the meal prepared or something until I get back."

Sango glared at Kagome and muttered a nearly inaudible, "Fine" Kagome laughed at this, knowing about the elder girl's dislike of cooking. Starting to head back towards the village she paused and looked over her should at Kagome. "You sure you don't want to come?" she asked her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Besides I'm supposed to be one of your so-called evil demonic 'pets'. And I'm 'dangerous' " she rolled her eyes as she replayed what the villagers had said and asked about her. She laughed lightly, but it seemed hollow.

Sango sighed and muttered an "Oh, yeah..." before continuing on her trek towards the village.

Kagome waited until her friend left. Her fake smile slipped away and her sorrowful expression returned once more. Jumping up into a tree, she sat on a sturdy branch and reclined against its trunk. She never knew why she liked being up in trees. She figured it had something to do with her childhood. That thought seemed to depress her even more she grew more sullen. She knew nothing of her earlier childhood. She'd lost most of her memory, seeming to only remember only her name.

It had been Sango that had found her laying halfway in a river and halfway on its bank. Sango had been the one to tell her this, for she'd been unconscious at the time. Her life had pretty much started over when she had awakened.

/o0o0o0_Flashback_0o0o0o

"Hmm...I don't know what possessed me do this. I'm going to be a demon slayer. Not a demon saver." The owner of the voice shook their head and sighed. "She couldn't be all that bad. She looks to be even younger than I! Then again...she's a demon. Demon's don't age nearly as fast as we do...oh well." The voice's owner tore off another piece of cloth as she began to sloppily wrap the young injured demon's arm, leg, and head. Suddenly the demon began to stir and the elder girl jumped back.

"Hn?"

"Where am I? I feel like I was crushed with a boulder. My head…"

'She must not have noticed me yet.'

As if on cue, the demon girl whipped her head towards the human, ears twitching madly, as she became more alert of her surroundings. The human girl, not knowing what to do, called out for her father. "Father! She's awake! Come quickly!" After but a moment, the girl's father came into the hut. "What is it, Sango?"

"The demon girl--she's awake!"

The father looked over at the said child that had now pressed herself into a corner of the hut, obviously nervous. He then shook his head and sighed. "I still don't see how you managed to get me to save her. She's a demon and demons are—"

"Yes, yes, father. Demons are very dangerous and never to be trusted. It's just that this girl seems different. She doesn't look all that dangerous or even all that powerful! She can't be much younger than me. You said yourself that she was but a child! So we have to heal her."

The father looked at her, baffled at how his daughter, who had yet to even reach adolescence, had managed to get what she wanted yet again. He sighed. She had him wrapped around her finger and they both knew it.

"Excuse me…" a small voice brought them both father and daughter back to the matter at hand. They both turned to look at her. "Could one of you tell me where I am o-or why I'm bandaged up?"

Before her father could answer, the girl, now known as Sango, went up to her. "You're the demon exterminator's village and in my hut. We found you in the river unconscious and you were pretty beat up, so I got father to take you back here so that we could help you."

Now her father spoke. "As for how you got hurt in the first place, we were hoping that you could tell us. Do you remember?"

The girl scrunched up her nose as she tried to remember. Her look then became on of confusion and she glanced back up at the two pairs of staring eyes. "I…don't know. I think I remember a demon. And something gold? But that's all…" Her face changed once again, this time taking on the form of sadness. The other girl in the room, feeling sorry for her lightly touched her shoulder—so that she wouldn't causer her any more harm than necessary—and said to her "Don't worry, we'll find a way to help you remember. But for now…oh! I almost forgot! My name's Sango. What's yours?"

This time the girl could answer without thinking. "Kagome. My name is Kagome."

/o0o0o0_End Flashback_0o0o0o

Kagome smiled slightly. She was glad that she had met Sango. She was pretty sure that she would've died out there unprotected had Sango and her father not found her. One thing about the memory that bothered her however was the 'something gold' she had said that she had remembered. Over the years the 'something' had taken the form of a pair of beautiful golden eyes. Who or what they belonged Kagome wasn't sure, but she _knew _that they belonged to something dear to her. Thinking about it always gave her mixed feelings.

Shaking her head slightly and glancing over at the sun's descending position, she jumped down from her perch. "Sango won't get _too _mad at me if I stay out a little longer to bathe. I hope she can keep from strangling those 'gabbering hens' as she puts it." She laughed softly as she headed toward a hot spring not too far away.

* * *

I **_KNOW_** it's not anywhere NEAR enough for the long time I made you all wait, but the next chapter is much too fun. I wanted to take more time to write it and just write it as a separate chapter rather than deprive you guys of a chapter any longer. Sorry again! It'll be up as soon as I revise the first chapter. 

**Review Responses:**

Dragon Man 180: -sigh- You and your evil mind-reading powers…

Inuyashasgirly04: Don't worry. It'll happen soon…maybe. Bwahahahaaa…

Clouds of the Sky: I don't think this was quite soon enough. Sorry. ;

InuDemonKagome14: Thank you!

INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWA: Thank you lots and sorry again for the super-long wait…

Akira: Because…ah…my brain died. RIGHT there. O.o

Dark-demon2156: Ah, Sorry 'bout that. I'll be updating more. I swear on my neighbor's life! And thankies!

Psycho-pyro-shrink: Thankies!

Chimamare kiri: Thanks! –glomps back- Oh teh noes…I did it again…ACK! Now I sound like that Spears girl. –shudders-

Yugiohfreak: -.- Elizabeth…Kagome isn't annoying. And LOOK! She ain't dead either! MWAHAHA! Take that. And yes, I read AND reviewed your story. I gave you your CD too. Yesterday.

Somedaymydreamswillcome: What IS it with you people and your little mind-reading abilities? Grrr…Stop digging into my mind! But thankies! -mood swings-

Textrose: oops…

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Raithya: -nodnod- And he'll find her…eventually. Yeah. You got the ages right. Yay for math! –cheers-

Fang Fox: Thank you.

Cat-demon Kitten: Glad you love it. Review? –raises eybrow-

Mo0fins and pocky boxes (chocolate only) to everyone 'cuz I love you all!

* * *

Don't forget to review for this one! You'll get a mo0fin (or whatever else I have handy) and my everlasting lurve! What could be better than that? Flames are used solely to roast Kikyou and Kouga…and Jaken.

TTFN!

Naomi


	12. Perverted Monks and Hot Springs

Okay. FF-dot-Net is really starting to tick me off. This chapter (not including this and all my other comments) was completed on March 12. Whenever I tried to submit it as another chapter, my internet connection would just DIE. I've finally managed to find another computer to post this on…well, that's probably pretty obvious, on account of you're reading this right now. ;

WARNING: Your scrolling finger may be out of shape due to my previous chapters. PREPARE TO SCROLL!

**---In my life (because it won't let me post anything on my profile for now)---**

I'm about ¼ to 1/3 of the way done with chapter twelve. I'm trying to type as much as possible because I just found out recently that I will be moving in less than two months. Ugh. Moving sucks, but being a "Military BRAT" I guess I'm used to it. This'll be my first time not having a house on a military base. O.o Hm. I won't be able to update as often when I move because we'll have to pay for our electricity. And with my current update speed, I'll probably update like once a freakin' year. (J/K) Oh yes, I want to also put up a oneshot or a short ficlet before I leave….

**---Other crap (because my friends threatened to various awful things to me if I didn't put this)**

Go read my friends' stories! My friend, **_yugioh-freak_** ,has a story up. It has more than just Yu-gi-oh characters in there. There's pokemon, Inuyasha, and all kinds of good stuff. Now, if you want me to live and update this story, go read hers. I'd tell you the name of it, but I forgot what it was, and I'm too lazy to look it up. XD My other friend,** _Inuyasha-Drama_**, is new to FF-dot-net and has a new story up. It's called _This Means War_, and it is chock-full of humor and randomness. Go read it. She spends all her homework time writing it. . Dumb-butt. **Misty** says hi. **Robbalina** wishes to remind you love, respect, and beware the squirrels.

**(o)-.-(o) **(this will be put here in place of a horizontal break.)

**Review responses are at the BOTTOM**

**(o)-.-(o)**

Disclaimer: rides in on a bareback Inuyasha "Hi-ho, Silver Ears! AWAY!" Inuyasha: "Neigh..."

**(o)-.-(o)**

**Inevitable**

Chapter Eleven

Perverted Monks and Hot Springs

Inuyasha glared deep holes into the head of the monk he was currently sulking behind. He was…not too happy with him. If looks could kill, Miroku most likely would've burst into flames on the spot. Inuyasha wanted to break the so-called 'holy man's' hands off. He couldn't _believe_ that he'd gotten them both thrown out of _another_ village due to his oh-so-innocent "appreciation" of the female body.

He just _had_ to appreciate the body of the young lord's bride-to-be. The lord _kindly_ gave them the choice of being without a home or without their heads. Being the smart men that they were, they wisely chose to leave. Now they were wandering through the woods looking for a village or somewhere else to stay in. Inuyasha didn't think that it was very fair that _he_ had to leave as well, solely because he associated with the corrupt monk.

"Stupid humans…stupid monk!" he growled under his breath. The image of a miniature version of himself slowly roasting and castrating a chibi-Miroku came to mind. The thought alone was enough to bring a sadistic grin to his face.

His joy was short-lived, however, when he remembered something else that would happen soon. This only served to make his mood even sourer. Tonight was the new moon—the night where his demon blood and power would recede leaving a completely human Inuyasha in its wake. Fortunately—or unfortunately, he couldn't decide yet—for him, Inuyasha didn't have to worry about trying to hide his change from Miroku. He'd already 'accidentally' found out a few years before.

After going nearly twenty minutes without blinking or removing his gaze from the chipper monk, he finally turned his scowl on something else—the rapidly descending sun.

'_Damn,'_ he cursed. _'Why now?'_ Before he could continue cursing the wretched star to eternal damnation, Miroku's voice stopped him.

"Ah! Look Inuyasha!"

The said half demon turned his head to look at the now wildly grinning monk who was pointing at something in front of them. He looked in the direction that Miroku was pointing in and saw…a group of village girls. He snapped his head back to where Miroku was standing to yell at stupid womanizer…

"Oi! Bouzo--"

…only to find that he wasn't there.

Miroku called to Inuyasha from where the girls were now standing. '_How'd he get over there so fast? Maybe my senses are slowing up… Damn! My powers are draining faster than I thought!'_

"Inuyasha, these lovely ladies have offered us a place to stay in their village! It would be rude to turn down such an offer, don't you think?"

Inuyasha muttered something about "a damned lech that couldn't keep his hands to himself" before giving Miroku a halfhearted "Whatever, monk. I'm going somewhere. I'll be back tomorrow or something," and stalked off into the woods.

Miroku simply rolled his eyes at his friend, not understanding why he wanted nothing to do with these beautiful girls. He once again turned his miroku-y grin on the flock of girls. "So, which one of you would like to escort me to your village?"

Chaos unfolded as all the girls jumped up, eager to be alone—if only for a short while—with this charming man.

"Oh! I would!"

"No! I'm the oldest! I will!"

"Allow me, kind monk! I'll make you the best meal of your life!"

"Don't pick her! She's to be wed next week!"

"You're ALREADY married!"

"So!"

"I'm not married!"

"But _your_ husband is dead! Let me do it!"

"I'll do it!"

Throughout all of this, Miroku noticed that one girl was a good distance away from the rest of the girls. '_Maybe she's shy._' He thought with a grin. But then again, she didn't _look_ shy. She looked more annoyed…as if she wanted nothing to do with him or the rest of the now squalling girls of the village. He looked at her again—_really _looked. He nearly gasped. She was the most beautiful woman he'd seen in all his life—and he'd seen _many_ women. She wasn't frail or dainty looking in any way. Noticing the tone and muscles on her, Miroku could almost say that he could picture her going up against Inuyasha on one of his good days! She didn't look like the 'easy' type of girl that he was used to. He liked this one. '_I could definitely go for a challenge,'_ he smirked. He definitely wanted to get to know her.

"Excuse me, Miss," he called as he struggled away from the still squabbling girls who had yet to notice that he was no longer paying them any attention.

The girl he was calling to paused in her actions and stood up. She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes?"

"I am quite weary from my recent long journey, and am looking for a place to rest. Would you be so kind as to escort me to your village? I'd ask one of the other girls, but ah…"

The woman looked over at the group of girls that she had dubbed as the 'gabbering hens' and sighed. What was wrong with them? Fighting over the simple task of showing a monk the way to their village. Even if he was a very good looking monk… Her face flushed as she mentally slapped herself for such thoughts. She turned back to the monk and bowed. "I will gladly escort you, Houshi-sama. Please pay no heed to those buffoons over there; they can't help themselves."

Miroku chuckled at this. "Surely, they can not be all that bad." She gave him a dry look and he coughed. "Where to, my lady?"

The girl simply turned around towards the direction of her village and motioned for him to follow. "This way."

Miroku walked up next to her and turned to her once again. "May I ask your name, my dear lady?"

The girl blushed as her lack of manners was acknowledged. '_How could I be so rude as to forget to introduce myself?' _ "My name is Sango."

"Sango…" He repeated. "Well, it is certainly nice to meet you, Sango! I'm Miroku." He replied with a grin.

She shyly returned the smile, and with that, they ventured out of the clearing towards the direction of the village. Sango watched the path ahead of her as Miroku walked slightly behind her in order to focus on, ahem, _other_ things.

The bickering girls never noticed them leave.

**(o)-.-(o)**

Kagome sat on top of a large rock that rested in the middle of the hot spring. Her feet dangled just above the steaming water as she watched the sun sink further into the horizon. This was one of her most favorite times of the day—when beautiful colors were painted across the sky as the sun tried to make its last impression on all who cherished it as it left to lie dormant and leave the scenes of night in its wake. '_It's so beautiful,'_ she marveled. Suddenly an angry Sango's face appeared out of nowhere into her mind's eye and she nearly fell over.

"Oh crap. I _completely_ forgot about Sango!" She smacked her forehead and groaned. "She is _so_ gonna kill me."

She figured now was as good a time as any to take a quick bath so she could sneak back to the village—and hopefully avoid Sango before she strangled her for leaving her alone with those annoying gossipy girls. Kagome then hopped over to the shore of the spring and stripped herself of her simple clothes. She glanced around to make sure no one was around to see her. Not smelling or seeing anyone, she slowly waded into the hot yet calming waters of the spring. She swam over to the giant rock that she previously had been perched upon and leaned up against it as she slowly sank into the water. Her eyes drifted close while the hot water caressed her body.

"Ahh…this is wonderful," she sighed.

She opened her eyes once again only to have her gaze creep up towards the sky. The blues, purples, pinks,…golds…

'_Gold...'_

The hot water still caressed her skin and put her into such a state of calm, that her eyes slowly drooped close as she began to fall asleep in the middle of the spring.

A pair of golden eyes looking right at her was her last thought before sleep claimed her.

**(o)-.-(o)**

"Damn it all!" Inuyasha punched a tree in anger. He _hated_ the new moon. It wasn't even night yet and he could barely hear or smell anything! Punching the tree one last time, he summoned what strength he had left to leap from branch to branch until he got as far up as he could go. He sat facing the sun and glared at it as if it would cower before his wrath. Instead, it seemed to be laughing at him. _Mocking_ him. "Stupid sun. Stupid moon. Stupid Miroku," he growled as his thoughts shifted to the lecherous monk. _He_ was one of the larger reasons for his current sour mood. He began to wonder why he even stuck around with the stupid pervert.

"Keh. To protect those women he's always after," he told himself. "Damn lech. He's gonna get his hands **_or something else_** ripped off one day. He'll mess with the wrong woman and she'll get him for sure." He had to snicker at that idea. He wouldn't be asking any women to 'bear his child' _then _now would he? His mood seemed to lighten ever-so slightly. His temporary contentment was short-lived however when the sun finally descended completely over the horizon—but not before throwing one last mocking smile at the irate hanyou.

He felt like he was being smothered. He couldn't smell anything, could barely hear anything, and he could barely even see his hand in front of his face. Hell—he bet that if he tried, he wouldn't even be able to _taste_ anything. "Damn these lame human senses! How do they _live_ like this all the time!" He couldn't even begin to fathom how awful it would have to be if he were to go like this his whole life. (It never occurred to him that the he wouldn't have been bothered because he wouldn't have known what it was _like_ to have demon senses.)

Sick of just sitting there, Inuyasha got up to do…well, something that didn't involve just sitting around. Apparently, he was hit with a momentary memory lapse as he prepared to jump out the extremely tall tree. He bent down into a crouch and his eyes shot open when he nearly lost his balance. Barely catching himself in time with his clawless human hands, he remembered that humans usually don't fare too well after falling out of super tall trees. He'd have to climb all the way down, and with his 'pathetic' human strength, it'd take him quite a while.

'_Better get started. Damn. I'll have to remember not to climb trees on these nights.'_ And with that, he began his long descent to the ground.

Thirty minutes and fifteen splinters later, Inuyasha had finally made it to bottom of the massive tree and collapsed to the ground. He arose with a grunt and looked at his splinter-covered hands. He winced when he noticed that most of them were embedded too far to get them out without the aid of his claws. He'd have to soak them for a while and hope they rose up so he could pull them the rest of the way out. "Yeah. Definitely last time I climb a tree on a new moon."

'_Where am I?' I looked around. Why did this clearing seem so familiar? _

"_Oi, Kagome! C'mon!" a voice called me. This voice…I knew it from somewhere as well. Who was it?_

"_Kagome!" the voice beckoned again._

_I looked over to my right to see that the scene I'd seen a second ago now had a figure clad in red. A sharp pain went through my head then. I brought my hand to my head. It was then that I noticed my hands were…small? I looked down at myself. I was in the form of a child. But how? I decided that I'd figure that out later._

"_Who are you?" I asked the figure whose face I couldn't see._

"_Hello? Kagome? Where are you?"_

"_I'm right here, but could you tell me who you are?" I asked as I began to walk towards the voice's owner._

"_Kagome? Where are you?" the voice—that I had decided belonged to a young boy—called again. _

"_I said I'm right here!" I announced again. Why wasn't he listening to me? Could he not hear what I was saying? I began to run now, desperate to know who this was and shat they wanted with me._

"_Kagome…" A red outfitted boy turned to me only to reveal a pair of golden eyes laced with sadness. Those eyes! They were the eyes that I'd remembered!_

"_Who are you!" I cried reaching out to grab the boy by his shoulders. _

"_Kagome…" but his voice was different this time. There were two voices coming from the boy's mouth. His own and one that I didn't recognize blended together._

"_Kagome…!" it called me again. _

_The unrecognizable one now overpowered the boy's voice. Now it sounded… evil. I snatched my hands back. _

"_What--?" before I could get my question out, the boy began to morph into something else… _

_I gasped._

'_He's a demon! Why didn't I smell this earlier!' I noticed then that my tiny child's hands bore no claws. I was human. 'But how? The moon is still visible!' _

_I had no time to dwell on that thought for too long, because now the previously sad boy had turned into a sinister looking serpent demon. Another sharp pain went through my head. Why was this so familiar? Suddenly all of the ground that had just surrounded me dropped to reveal a raging river. 'How--?" Once again this new creature interrupted my thoughts. He hissed something at me, and before I had the chance to move or respond, it had hit me with its tail and sent me into the air. Everything went black except for the angry river below. As I fell—certain that I was to meet an untimely death—I heard the voice of that boy again. _

"_Where are you Kagome? Where are you…?"_

_I reached towards the direction of the voice, but no one came to my aid. I finally found my voice and began to scream for all I was worth as I neared the river and sharp rocks below…_

She shot up in a cold sweat, despite the temperature of the water. When had she fallen asleep? She needed to be more careful. Something could've attacked her and she would've been none the wiser. Pretty startled from her dream—and the possibilities of what could have happened to her had she not awakened—, she decided to take another bath to calm her distorted thoughts.

She vaguely wondered how Sango was doing and she winced when she noticed that it was really dark out. "Well, Sango's most definitely going to kill me," she thought grimly. Kagome took a sniff, out of pure habit, to make sure nothing dangerous was around and once again she smelled nothing. Her eyes widened. She smelled _nothing_—noteven the forest life around her.

"What? Why can't I smell anything?" Was she in a trap? Did someone place a spell on her while she was asleep? All sorts of horrible possibilities ran through her mind as she raked her claws through her hair.

Wait…

She looked down at her hand. There _were_ no claws; they'd been replaced by the nails of a 'normal' girl. Tonight was her human night. She looked up at the moonless sky. How could she have _forgotten_? She'd _never_ forgotten this night, so how had it been able to evade her mind this time?

"Great. Just great," Kagome sighed. Though she was a hanyou, during her human nights she'd always been much more afraid of the dark than usual. True, she didn't like to be in the dark regardless, but as a human, her childish fear seemed to multiply hundredfold. Now she was _alone _in the dark. That made it all the worse. She _hated_ being alone. Even as a child in Sango's village, she'd made sure not to disobey _any_ rule so that she wouldn't be kicked out of the village and sent to be alone in the forest.

Now, she couldn't leave the water; she couldn't see a thing, and would undoubtedly get lost rather quickly. She couldn't just stay here either. Something could attack and she'd be defenseless—not that she would kill something with her bare hands anyway… "I believe the gods are getting bored watching me sit here and fret. Something's going to happen; I know it," she seemed to be talking to herself…or perhaps to that firefly that had just landed on a blade of grass not to far from her.

Kagome was slightly surprised with herself. Usually she was quite the optimist, but being alone in the dark on her human night must have drawn the pessimism out of her. She had no time to dwell on this, however. As if the gods had heard her, something _did_ happen just then. Something rather large fell into the spring on the other side of the rock.

She stiffened.

'_What was that?' _she mentally wondered. Suddenly overcome with a strong sense of bravery—and curiosity—she slowly crept over towards the rock to look and see what had fallen in the spring.

Kagome's eyes finally landed on the creature that had fallen in. Her breathing halted and she paled drastically. Had she had the breath—and the coherent thought—she would have sworn that her heart had come to a complete stop. All at once, her breathing returned, and she did the only thing that any other girl in this situation in the right mind would do.

She screamed.

**(o)-.-(o)**

Inuyasha had been wandering for quite a while now. With his pathetic human eyesight, he was barely able to see a thing, and had tripped over an infinite number of tree roots. He'd managed only in falling and being covered chin to toe in mud. Now, he definitely wouldn't say this normally, but right now he could _really_ use a bath. "And a warm one at that. It's freezing out here. Stupid, weak body…"

He continued to curse his current state of humanity until he noticed that'd he'd reached a clearing. Maybe the gods—at least one of them—liked him after all. A beautiful hot spring lie amongst various small plant life and it called to him.

Beckoning that he come closer…

The thought of it being a trap or some other kind of bewitchment flew out of his mind—along with the realization that he believed that a body of water was calling to him-- and was replaced with the happy thoughts of being warm and _clean_. (He even forgot to view these last thoughts as part of an effect of his human mind) He glanced down at his clothes and managed to hold back a grimace. Those would need to be washed as well. He made quick work of them and discarded them into the steamy waters.

After a quick glance around the area, he waded out into the water over where he'd thrown his clothes. His top rested on the giant rock that apparently divided the spring. He decided to wash his clothes before himself and went to retrieve it. He wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to his feet and ended up tripping over his hakama and falling flat on his face into the semi-scalding hot water. He quickly arose with yelp tried to get the burning water out of his eyes. "GAH! Dammit! My eyes!"

That's when he heard a scream.

'_What the hell!' _His head whipped around, trying to locate the source of the feminine scream (or at least it sounded feminine. He hoped it wasn't a guy…) and whatever had provoked the girl to scream like that. He turned fully around to face the giant rock, and he noticed a blur on top of it. Inuyasha once again rubbed his eyes to remove all of the water from them and looked back at the 'blur'. He blushed four shades of red when he realized that the scream had come from a girl who had been in the spring with him on the opposite side.

A very _naked_ girl.

More color flamed his face when he realized that she was just standing there practically _gawking_ at him. He covered himself and glared at the peeping girl before calmly assessing the matter and asking,

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

Kagome stood frozen in shock, staring at the sight in front of her. There was a _naked_ boy standing no more than a few feet in front of her. He had whipped up and looked around when she had screamed. She was grateful that he had decided to cover herself, as she was too stunned to look away. She was pretty sure that her burning hot face could easily pass as a tomato by now…

Why was he _glaring_ athernow

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

Click.

All feelings of embarrassment transferred to anger. What did he _mean_ 'what the hell was she doing'? She was trying to take a bath! What was _he _doing here! She'd been here first! _He _was the one that had interrupted _her_ bath, and now he had the gall to ask what _she _was doing here!

Completely forgetting the fact that she was as naked as he was—maybe even more so seeing as he was at least semi-covered—she stood up fully and glared at him. "Whaddya mean 'what am I doing here'? _I_ was here first, you jerk!"

Somewhere deep in the back of her subconscious mind, she was surprised at her reaction to him. Usually, she had much better control of her anger, and it took a _lot_ to get her this mad in the first place. She, however, merely dismissed it as the lack of emotional control her human body had.

Her glare faltered when she realized that he wasn't saying anything in retort as she had expected. '_His face is turning red.'_ Was he angry to the point that he couldn't even speak? '_What is there for him to be angry about!'_ She fixed her glare on him once more. "What's your problem?" she asked him. He only sputtered before 'keh-ing' and turning away, as his red face began to rival her previous one. '_Huh?' _"Wha-?" She was cut off by him pointing at her. Curious as to what was wrong, she looked down at herself. Her eyes became nearly as wide as dinner plates as she noticed 'attire-lacking' state.

"Eep!" She quickly sank down into the water on the other side of the rock with a splash. "You pervert!"

'_Pervert? I'm a pervert!'_ "Listen here, girl! I'm not the _gawking _at anyone else!" _'She's making me sound like that damn monk!'_

Her face ignited in a deep red once more. "I was _not_ gawking! I-I wasn't even looking at you!" '_Well, not anywhere inappropriate…'_ her mind silently corrected.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the blatant lie.

"And _you_ were the one looking at me, thank you very much!"

"W-W-WHAT! I was not looking at you!" he growled. "Keh! Like I'd even _want _to look at a rude wench like you!"

'_Rude!' _Kagome fumed mentally. She opened her mouth to unleash another reply to the man who had so insolently interrupted her bath but thought better of it and closed her mouth with a sigh. "Hey. Just let me get dressed and let's start over, shall we?"

Inuyasha looked over at her—or rather the rock in between them—and wondered what brought about the sudden change in the girl. He dropped the thought and nodded his assent. He almost mentally smacked himself upon realizing she couldn't see him and gave her a half-hearted "Ok."

Kagome smiled to herself. Maybe there was a nice side to this guy. She looked around for her clothes and made sure that he wouldn't be able to see her before getting up to put them on.

She waited for the man to finish washing up and laid down on the grass. When she heard some shuffling along the grass, she quickly arose to look at the boy that had ruined her bath time. Her breathing chose to walk out on her and her heart called it quits.

He was _gorgeous._

He had to be the handsomest human she'd ever seen. His beautiful raven hair, though still somewhat clinging to him, reached his lower back; it was longer than hers! Her eyes met his and they widened upon seeing their deep violet hue. _'Wow.' _Her heartbeat decided to come back, but was now working in overdrive. A blush arose to her face for the umpteenth time that night.

'_I think my face is going to burn off eventually if I don't stop doing this…'_ came the stray thought.

Before she could embarrass herself by drooling or by having the boy ask her 'what the hell she was doing' again, she threw on a smile before bowing slightly. "I'm Kagome." she introduced herself. "And you would be…?"

**(o)-.-(o)**

Inuyasha had finished washing himself and his clothes, but didn't wait for them to dry. He just threw on his wet clothes—after drying himself in a very dog-like manner—and walked around the spring to 'start over' as the girl had put it. He made a sour face. He didn't know why he wanted to redo his first impression on the girl. He never too much cared about the opinion of humans—not now, at least. _'Keh. Stupid girl.'_

He found her lying on the grass staring at the sky. He mentally smacked himself when the thought of her—a _human_—being attractive passed through his mind. He'd never thought any human girl to be attractive. Hell, he wasn't the womanizer—he didn't really know what he considered attractive! Female youkai might be…but they were too dangerous for the most part.

All of the thoughts running through his mind in disarray came to an abrupt halt when the girl hopped up to face him. When had he gotten so close to her? Must've been walking the whole time…

She had been ready to say something, when all of the sudden she took in a sharp inhale of breath. Her eyes roamed over him and she said nothing. _'What is she looking at!'_ he was starting to feel uncomfortable with having this girl stare at him and readied himself to let her know this—not in a very nice way, might I add. Before he could however, she drew herself away from whatever had caught her attention and quickly bowed to him.

"I'm Kagome! And you would be…?

Inuyasha had never been one for formalities and did not return the gesture. Instead, he 'keh'd' and quickly muttered his name.

"What was that?"

He grumbled in annoyance before stating his name again, this time a little louder more comprehendible. "I said my name's Inuyasha." He stopped glowering at the girl when another grin broke out on her face.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha slightly smiled back at the girl.

"I'm afraid that I must take my leave, however," the girl stated, slightly nervous. She bit her lip and looked at the thick, dark woods that lie ahead. "Uh, bye…"

Inuyasha nodded in her direction in acknowledgement and watched her leave.

**(o)-.-(o)**

Kagome had barely stepped foot into the wooded area before something 'squawked' loudly and swooped past her. With an 'eep!' of surprise, she was back at Inuyasha's side again. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow as if to ask 'Uh, what are you doing?' She turned to face him.

"Hey, Inuyasha was it?" He nodded. "Yeah, Inuyasha…would you mind walking with me to my village? I-It's not far, and I know we just met, but I _really _hate the dark, and I was wondering—well you don't have to, and I…ohh…" Her rambling came to an end as she looked down at her hands. _'I shouldn't have stayed out so late. He's not going to say yes, Kagome. You just met the guy! He doesn't seem like the 'help any and all damsels in distress' kind of guy. Now you're going to have to risk getting eaten or abducted just to get home and be berated by Sango. Man, I'm stupid.'_

Before Kagome could mentally squash what little self-esteem she had left to a pulp, she was tapped on the shoulder and Inuyasha muttered something inaudible. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't catch that…"

"I said I'll do it," he repeated.

"Wha…?" she asked, dumbstruck.

"Your village! You said that you were afraid of the dark and I'm agreeing to take you to your village! Geez, are all human women like you? All sl—" she cut him off by giving him a quick hug.

"Thank you so much, Inuyasha!" she said after releasing him.

She didn't notice the blush on his face when he replied, "Whatever. Just show me where your damn village is already."

Mood never dampening, she nodded and grabbed his hand, and began to lead him in the right direction. "Right this way!"

"Keh." She tugged on his wrist and looked at him.

"You know what Inuyasha?"

"Hn?"

"I believe this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship."

**END CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Chapter length w/o my notes: 4,791 words.

Oi. I was itching to put a billion A/Ns throughout this chapter…but refrained from doing so. –sigh- Curse ye, temptation. I _KNOW_ I made Inuyasha seem like a weak, wimpy little human in this chapter, but I SWEAR on my neighbor's dog's life that that was the only time I'll ever do that. I love him too much…and I miss his ears. –tweaks his human ears- See? Not as fun. Ya know, this was the ONLY chapter that was even semi-planned out when I first thought of this story. Pretty pathetic, ne? ;

**(o)-.-(o)**

**Explanations:** _Inuyasha doesn't recognize Kagome! What kind of messed up crap is that!_ **My answer:** 1) Eight year gap. She aged, duh. 2) She's human... 3) He's not expecting to meet her in a hot spring. 4) He's human. He's no longer super scent-sensitive

_Inuyasha's eyes are not violet! OH EM GEEZ!_ **My answer:** My friends and I had a long argument about this. (No, Miranda, they are NOT black. No one agrees with you.) However, since this is my fic, I can do whatever I want. I could give him a rainbow colored Mohawk and pink eyes if I wanted to! …ew.

_Why wasn't Miroku more perverted in here? He's in the damn chapter name! _** As much as I don't believe that this question deserves an answer: **This chapter was more so focused on the "reunion" of Inuyasha and Kagome. I didn't want to focus too much on him. As for him being in the chapter name, it was so that Miroku got more of a proper intro due to his lack of a previous one. I also didn't want rabid Miroku fangirls (cough**MISTY**cough) and/or MirSan fans to kill me.

_Is "Miroku-y" even a word?_ **My answer: **It is now.

_ALL THAT AND NO LEMON? ZOMFGWTFLOLBBQM8!_** My answer: **No. I don't write lemons. No do I read them. The thing is, I'm just too shy! I don't think I'd ever be able to write that. No lemons will EVER be in this story, so DON'T ask. Just be content with picturing Inuyasha (or Kagome if you're a guy) standing stark nude with steam cascading all around him (or her if it's Kagome you're thinking about). GAH! I had trouble writing that _one_ sentence! You think I could write a lemon? Keh!

_Why did you reunite them so soon?_** My answer: **Because I can. Oi! Just hold on! You'll see!

_Where's Shippou and Kirara?_ **My answer:** Uh… Hawaii? –writes them into the story somehow-

_Why are your other chapters super short?_ **My answer: **Because I'm usually a lazy, mobile wad of mashed potatoes.

_Why are your so-called "notes" so freaking long?_ **My answer: **Meh. I get bored a lot, but I am also easily amused. I write these just for the heck of it. XP

**(o)-.-(o)**

**¡¡¡REVIEW RESPONSES!**

**Dragon Man 180.**Keh! Suuuure you didn't. –grumbles- A great team? –pictures them playing basketball- Uh…eep. o.o;

**INUYASHAANDKAGOMEALLTHEWA.**You almost forgot about me? How could you?–snifflesob- ;0;

**DarkXHanyouxGirl.**Yeah, they're _definitely _gonna meet again. XD

**Somedaymydreamswillcome.**You have pocky? I ran out yesterday! –snifflesob- 0.0! I'd rather you not be forced… -backs away slowly- Can't we talk this out rationally? o.o;

**young kagome.**Glad you liked it!

**Clouds of the Sky.**Huzzah! I updated! I am AWESOME! –laughs-

**Rikku-Tasuki.**Are they together soon enough for you?

**cat-demon Kitten.**Ah. Little brothers… I understand all too well. I have three going on four. Ugh…

**dark-demon2156.**HOLY FLYING PEANUT BUTTER JARS ON A STICK, BATMAN! I'M UPDATING!XD Is this a miracle too?

**Sachichan16.**Ah yes. Inuyasha and Kagome FOREVAH! -gasp!- Will Kagome ever remember? Tune in next time on **Inevitable** to find out!

Well as I told **Somedaymydreamswillcome**, I'm out of pocky, but I have a 40-pack of small sized Rice Krispies Treats. There's chocolate drizzle, rainbow, and double chocolate fudge. Take your pick!

**(o)-.-(o)**

I love my reviewers! -huggles you all- Wouldn't you love to review? You get goodies out of it! All kinds of awesome goodies just by taking a minute of your time to review! Maybe you could just review telling me to hurry up with the next chapter and to stop being lazy… Oh yeah, all flames are used to roast Kikyou, Kouga, and Jaken. RAWR.

Until next time!

-Naomi


	13. The Calm Before the Storm

Don't throw anything at me please….explanation's in the 'Ranting' section of my profile. Go read it before you harm me, please. Could someone tell me how to get a question mark and an exclamation point to show up next to one another? It would be greatly appreciated. Gah.I won't waste much time here. Review responses will be at the bottom again.

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Disclaimer: Roses are evil, violets are weird. I'll own Inuyasha when he grows a beard….

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**Inevitable**

Chapter Twelve

The Calm before the Storm

Inuyasha and Kagome passed the time with casual small talk as they slowly made their way toward the village. They were now on the subject of their companions—a very interesting topic indeed. Kagome laughed again as Inuyasha continued to tell her of his "adventures" with his friend, Miroku.

"He _groped _the lord's _daughter?_" she paused with a giggle. "Surely, you exaggerate. Your friend can't be _that_ stupid."

Inuyasha scoffed at that. "Believe me; he can. Though, if he tries anything on you, don't be afraid to knock the living daylights out of him. Not that he'll _learn_ anything from it, but it might make you feel better to take your anger out on him"

Kagome raised an eyebrow and looked over at him as they continued to make their way through the woods. "Hit him? I don't know if I'd be able to hit a follower of Buddha—" Inuyasha snorted at that. "—and if you don't mind me asking, why does it sound like this happens on a regular basis?"

"Because it _does_ happen on a regular basis. It's like a damn part of his daily schedule."

Kagome laughed again. "You certainly have odd tastes in friends, Inuyasha, but that _can_ be a good thing."

"Keh. I don't see how having a letch for friend helps me…"

Kagome placed her finger on her chin as she thought about it for a second. "Ah! I know! What if there were some giant female demon attacking you guys, but you were trapped in its jaws with,…uh, your hands tied behind your back? And then, the only way to defeat the demon and save your life was for Miroku to grope it to death?"

When he didn't say anything, she turned around to see that he'd stopped walking and was fixing her with a look that clearly stated 'Does that even _begin_ to deserve a comment?'.

Well, it was better than calling her stupid outright… She blushed, but laughed slightly. "I was only joking, you know?"

"…Right…." He answered unsurely, but he began walking beside her again.

Kagome quickly recovered and began chatting again. "Well, I have a friend too. Actually, she's more like an older sister to me. Her name's Sango. Right now, she's probably mad at me for staying out so late…"

They continued their friendly chat the whole way there.

Arriving at the village, Sango introduced Miroku village head, who would hopefully find Miroku a place to stay for the time being. They were currently sitting around the fire in the middle of the front room of the hut, sipping tea offered to them by one of maidens that worked in there as they discussed where Miroku could stay.

"Ah, so you're in need of a place to stay, am I correct?" the owner of the home questioned the monk.

Miroku sighed. This was the third time the man had asked him that. He was currently drunk, and reminded Miroku very much of Mushin… He briefly wondered why the head of the village would be a drunk, but decided instead to repeat himself.

"Yes, Atoshi-sama. I've been traveling for quite a while and wou—"

Atoshi jumped up with a grin on his face. "I've just the thing for you. Come, come!" Atoshi arose and he led Miroku down a hallway. He slid open the shoji door and allowed the monk to peer inside. His eyes nearly rolled out of his head at the sight. "In return for your promise to keep demons away for your entire stay, I grant you a woman of your choice to keep you company."

The girls inside turned towards him and smiled. Some giggled flirtatiously while others motioned him towards themselves. Sango had chosen that moment to look over the monk's shoulder to see what was going on and nearly gagged on the spot. "Houshi-sama! You don't have time for that! Didn't you say you had a friend? I'm not too sure she would approve…"

Miroku glanced at her then smiled miroku-y. Clasping her hands within his own, he spoke. "My dearest Sango, I thank you for your concern, but I wish to remind you that my companion is not a she…"

At this, Sango paled and slightly inched away from the monk. Realizing how she had misinterpreted his words, his hands flew up and waved furiously back and forth in the air as he shook his head.

"No, no! You misunderstand! I assure you that I am not like _that_. He's just and childhood friend."

Miroku looked at the woman and wondered why she was still looking at as if he had grown an extra two or three heads. She wasn't looking at him. He followed her gaze to their still clasped hands. He'd begun to caress them? How'd that happen? Oh well,… she wasn't complaining…

Sango had begun blushing as soon as the monk had taken a hold of her hands. Now he was _stroking _them. "Ah, Houshi-sama—" she was cut off.

"If you want, _you_ could be the one to keep me company, dearest Sango-chan…" the perverted monk suggested, grinning widely at the taijiya.

Sango's face did a perfect imitation of a tomato right then. Her face both hot red in anger and in embarrassment, she opened her mouth to let him have a piece of her mind when she suddenly felt something brush against her backside that she _knew _not to be the wind.

**SMACK!**

"You damn pervert! And here I thought you to be a holy man! What kind of monk are you!"

Miroku rubbed his cheek where she had slapped him and cradled it almost lovingly. "One of a kind, my dear Sango. One of a kind."

"I believe that…" she muttered to herself.

Atoshi, realizing that he'd been forgotten about during the little tirade between the two sauntered over to the girls instead, blowing kisses their way. The girls, creeped out by the drunken old man heading towards them, began to inch away from him.

"Now, now girls. Who wants a monk when you can have me!" he called as he struck a random model pose.

The girls sweatdropped and all backed away very quickly at the same time in order to evade him.

By now, Sango and Miroku had taken notice on what was going on around them. Sango sweatdropped and called out to the drunk. "Atoshi-sama, What about Miro—"

Before she could finish, the said man passed out in a drunken stupor. The women inside the room walked up to his unmoving body and proceeded to prod him with various objects. Questions fluttered throughout the room.

"Is he alive?"

"Who gave him so much sake?"

"Who's going to move him this time?"

Sango sighed. "Well, that didn't work out."

Miroku smiled. "I could always stay with you." Sango fixed him a hard glare and he once again raised his hands in an apologetic manner. "Only a suggestion, only a suggestion." Sango rolled her eyes.

Sango led Miroku out of the hut. "Well, there is one that no one is currently living in. Though, I don't know exactly why we have a spare hut… Would that be okay with you?"

Miroku bowed to her almost mockingly. "Why yes, my lady. It would be most delightful."

Sango sighed and escorted him the said hut near the outskirts of the village. "Well here you go. I could bring you a mat if there isn't one in there. Do you need one for your friend as well?"

Miroku, still looking at the 'doorway' shook his head. "That won't be necessary." He then turned his gaze on Sango. "However can I repay you?"

Sango blushed. "Oh you don't nee—…" she was cut off by the feeling of something stroking her upper thigh.

**SMACK!**

"Damn it! This is the third time today, Houshi-sama! And I just met you! You don't even know me that well! What gives you—"

"We could get to know each other better…" He winked.

"Ugh! You're impossible!" Sango accused as she stomped off towards her own hut, as Miroku merely chuckled.

"Goodnight, San-san," he called.

"Don't call me that!"

Miroku laughed again and went inside the little hut.

While Sango was stomping towards her hut, various thoughts on how to kill a certain monk without getting caught filtered through her mind. She honestly didn't know _why_ she was upset with him, seeing as she only just met him and probably would never speak to him again. "But he just…oh!" she ended with a huff and returned to her previous thoughts of killing him. So into her thoughts, she didn't even realized that she had bumped rather hard into an odd man with super-long hair not from the village, nor did she hear his rather rude comment to her.

She finally made it to her hut and nearly ripped the mat from the entrance. She stomped to the opposite end of the hut something about 'castrate' and 'damn perverts'. A sharp cough from someone else in the room with her brought her out of her reverie. She looked over to a corner closest to the hut's entrance and noticed a figure with a bowl clutched in her hand. She blinked. "Kagome-chan?"

The figure laughed nervously. "Uh…hi Sango."

When Kagome and Inuyasha arrived at the village, they heard the rather painful (but rather routine to Inuyasha) sound of flesh-hitting-flesh.

Inuyasha grunted. "That's Miroku. Wonder what he did to some poor girl this time…Wait—I take that back. I don't want to know what he did."

Kagome looked surprised. "_That's_ your friend?" Inuyasha nodded. "Ouch, must've not been very good if he was repaid with _that_." Then they faintly heard curses from a feminine voice and realized that the girl was chewing him out. They winced in unison.

Inuyasha sighed. "Well, I better go see if that letch is still alive."

Kagome sweatdropped. "That might be a good idea. I still have to get home and pray that Sango isn't _too_ upset with me."

A brief silence wafted through until Kagome broke it. "So, uh, I'll see you later?"

Inuyasha, looking slightly surprised, answered unsurely, "Sure, I guess…"

"Great! See you around Inuyasha…if Sango lets me live that long," Kagome called as she went towards her own hut, waving at him.

Inuyasha didn't wave in return, but allowed a small smirk-like smile to grace his lips. "Bye…"

She flashed him a beautiful smile before disappearing into her home. The smile on Inuyasha's face promptly left.

That smile of hers... It was just like...

"Kagome..."

A brief image of a little half-demon girl smiling and calling out to him filtered through his mind.

He shook the thought away. This couldn't be his Kagome. This was Kagome a human for crying out loud! But then again, hadn't Kagome's human transformation been on the same night as his--the night of the new moon? This couldn't be her...after so many years. And just to find her so easily? No. Kagome wouldn't just appear out of nowhere.

Great. Now his lifted hopes had been smashed, battered, and burned.

He sighed. When would he find her?

He was knocked out of his thoughts when a girl that had been stomping past him had roughly rammed her shoulder against his and kept going as if she hadn't even noticed. He glared at the girl when she didn't even mutter a "sorry".

"Oi! Stupid wench! Watch where you're going!"

She ignored him.

"Keh," he muttered, "stupid human."

Kagome entered the hut to find that Sango wasn't there. She sighed in relief. Maybe she could pretend that she'd been home the entire time, and Sango just hadn't noticed. Her thoughts switched gears when her stomach growled at her to remind her of its need for some sort of sustenance. Kagome, decided to find something to eat, lest it decide to devour her from the inside out. She looked on the shelves, finding nothing of real value, except for a slightly cold bowl of stew. She sighed, but picked it up. "Well, this'll have to do…" she began to eat it, too hungry to heat it up.

**BAM BAM BAM!**

Sango had decided to make her appearance just then, and stomped through the entrance and right past Kagome, not even noticing her. She profusely damned Miroku to the seven hells and back again, muttering random curses such as "castrate" and "damned monks".

Kagome, seeing that Sango wasn't going to notice her any time soon, coughed to get her attention. Sango whirled around to face her and blinked. "Kagome-chan?"

Kagome grinned sheepishly and allowed a nervous laugh to escape her. "Uh…hi Sango."

Sango folded her arms over her chest in a very calm manner. Her mood shifted quickly from extremely annoyed to eerily calm. Kagome tried to back further into her corner, knowing that that look meant trouble. "Kagome?" Sango asked in a tranquil voice.

She gulped. "Yes?"

"Where have you been?" Sango questioned in the same composed manner.

"I-I told you. I went to the hot spring to bathe."

"Yes…you did say that. But may I ask you what took you so long to return? Why you had me go with those girls? And would you care to explain why it is your fault that I ended up escorting a corrupt monk into the village as he tried to grope me?" With every question Sango threw at Kagome, her tone raised a little.

"Well I might've fallen asleep…"

That did it.

"Fallen asleep! Fallen _asleep!_ Do you not know what could've happened to you while you were out there all alone! What if something had come and torn your heart out while you slept?"

"Sango I—"

"And you fell asleep in the water I bet! What if you had just drowned? No one would know what happened to you!" Sango continued to berate her surrogate sister.

"I know, but—"

She sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Kagome?"

Kagome grinned. "You could always forgive me!"

She sighed again. " I guess so..." Then she got a closer look at Kagome, and her eyes darted out the sole window of the hut to the blank space where the moon once resided. Her glare snapped back to Kagome. Kagome had to hold back a wince. "It's your _human_ _night_ and you fell asleep outside!"

Kagome sighed. '_So much for the easy way out.' _

Sango continued to rant for a good while, when her thoughts took a sharp turn, and shifted to someone else. She was fuming about a monk now… Curious as to who she was talking about, and wanting to keep Sango's anger on another object, she asked who she was talking about. Sango replied by relaying the day's events to her.

"And then he _laughed_ about it! _Laughed_ about it as if nothing was wrong! Hey! That's not funny, Kagome!"

Kagome could barely contain her laughter when Sango started telling her about Miroku. She finally burst and was giggling madly. "I'm sorry, Sango. But you've gotta admit, that _is_ pretty funny."

Sango hmphed. "I don't see anything funny about it…He needs to keep his hands to himself. What are you thinking about?" she asked when she noticed Kagome was tapping a finger to her chin and looking at her slyly.

"Well, well, well. I've never thought _you _to be one to get so worked up about a _boy, _Sango. Is there something you're not telling me? Hmm?"

A furious blush of bright red lit up Sango's face and she sputtered indignantly. "K_-Kagome!_" Kagome laughed again and Sango sighed. "You're hopeless," and proceeded to half-heartedly toss a basket at Kagome's head.

"Your aim's getting pretty weak there, Sango." All she received in reply was Sango rolling her eyes.

Not allowing her friend to think that she had forgotten about the previously mentioned subject, she once again brought up the boy that Sango had been talking about. Sango blushed and tried to assure Kagome that it was nothing like she thought it was.

"Oh, really, Sango-chan? Hmm. Would you then care to explain the sudden coloring of your face. That couldn't be a _blush,_ could it?"

Averting her eyes from Kagome's mocking gaze, she tried to defend her dignity. "For the last time, it's not what you think! I want to _strangle_ him, not whatever it is you're conjuring in that wild imagination of yours, Kagome."

Kagome blinked at her innocently. "Hmm? I don't remember mentioning _anything_ like that Sango. I believe someone has a guilty conscious."

Sango sighed, finally giving up. "You're insufferable, do you know that?"

Kagome grinned. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I met someone today too..."

Sango looked back at her and quickly cut her off before she could continue. "What? Is it a guy? Who is he? Why haven't I seen him yet? Where did you meet him? Heck, _when_ did you meet him? How long have you hid this from me? Did you ever think that I might want to know who you're with? Why aren't you answering me? What..." Sango paused to take a breath.

Kagome took this opportunity to try and finish what she'd been saying a moment ago. "Sango! Calm down," she asked the older of the two.

Kagome then tried to answer all her question in respective order. "I met someone today. Yes, he's a guy. His name is Inuyasha. You should have seen him; he was outside but a moment ago. I met him at the hot spring. Once again, I met him _today._ I haven't hidden this from you at all. Yes, I know you want to know about every last scrutinizing little detail of my life. And I couldn't answer you because you wouldn't let me."

Sango took a moment to mentally match up all of Kagome's answers with her own questions. At the end of this, she had only one more question to ask. "So…when do I meet him?"

Kagome looked at her. I don't know…he probably won't be here for long. He says he's traveling with a friend, of whom, is probably here in our village. Inuyasha said that his friend was a _supposed_ to be a monk. His name was something like…Meruko? No, that's not it…maybe it was Mikuro?" Kagome's brows knitted together as she tried to remember the lech/monk's name.

Sango's eyes widened as she started to make a connection. "Miroku?"

Kagome looked up at her. "Hn?" then she thought on it for a second. "Hey! That's it. But uh, how did you know?"

Sango muttered under her breath, forgetting that Kagome wouldn't be able to hear it on this night.

"What was that, Sango?"

Sango repeated herself louder this time. "I said that that's the name of the monk that I had the great pleasure of meeting today."

"Hey, you don't think that…" Kagome deliberately trailed off.

Picking up onto what she was asking, Sango nodded her agreement. "I'm pretty sure that we're talking about the same person. He told me that he was traveling with a friend. When I asked where his friend was, Miroku told me that he was quite antisocial on nights like this."

Kagome tapped her index finger to her chin. "Antisocial? He was talking to me, plenty…And what do you mean 'on nights like this'?"

Sango, not knowing the answer herself, shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's referring to the lack of moonlight." Sango grinned. "Or maybe he's a half demon like you, and you share the same human night."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I bet in the morning, he'll come in here and sweep me off my feet and ask me to be his mate for forever more."

Neither of them noticing how close to the truth that their thoughts really were, erupted into a fit of laughter. Their laughing fit dying down, they decided that it was time for them to go to bed. They needed to get up early in the morning to do their routinely 'demon check' to make sure that no youkai that posed a threat to the village were nearby.

"We should be off to bed now, Kagome. We have to wake up early." Sango paused for but a second. "And don't you tell me that you don't need the extra rest. You're human for now, so go to bed," she finished in a way that left no room for discussion.

Kagome just rolled her eyes. "Ok, Sango. I am a little tired anyway…"

Sango nodded as she went over to lie down on her mat. She yawned and bid Kagome good night. Kagome returned the response as she too went to her mat. Kagome though, did not lie down. She wasn't tired, as she had told Sango but moments ago.

She yawned.

Ok, so maybe she was just a _little bit_ tired, but she didn't think that she'd be able to sleep.

Her thoughts were swirling in her head at about a million miles per hour. They were mainly concerned with Inuyasha and that dream that she'd had at the spring. Her head was pounding now. She raised her hand to her head in an attempt to calm her racing thoughts. Apparently, some forgiving deity must've pitied her because her thoughts simmered down and the pain in her head melted away. This however left a wave of fatigue to wash over her. "How weird…" she yawned once more and once again curled up on her mat in the corner. This time, however, she was not kept awake by troubling thoughts and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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**Review Responses**

**Dragon Man 180.**Ohhhh. I see! .:whaps self for stupidity:. They do make a good team, ne? And due to Sango's protectiveness in this fic, yes. Both she and Inuyasha would beat Miroku if he tried anything on Kagome. Hm…I almost feel sorry for the guy. Oh yes! Fire-breath would be lovely. Roast them to your (or my) heart's content!

**Dark-demon2156.**Lol. Maybe this is a miracle as well. Albeit a very belated miracle…but a miracle nonetheless. :D Heehee. I'm happy that you liked the chapter!

**OreintalEmerald.**Thank you! And yes, kikyou should die over and over again in a vicious and bloody cycle! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!

**Clouds of the Sky.**.:waves finger:. Uh uh uhhhh. All will reveal itself in due time. Hee hee. Thanks a million for the review!

**Sachichan16.**Gracias! Here's the next chapter! .:points above:. Dun dun dun duuuuuuun!

**Psycho-pyro-shrink.**Thankies. Here it is! Ta daaaaa!

**Shero. **Merci:D

**Shadowcat.**Aaaarigatou.

**Illdian the Half Demon. **I'm glad that you like my story. As for them meeting in their half demon forms…that was supposed to happen in this chapter…but moving threw my schedule of a very high cliff that was covered in spikes at the bottom. Needless to say, my schedule died a rather bloody death… n.n;;

**Guy. **Thank youz. D No wait…double thank youz! You reviewed on mah birfieday! Heehee!

**CenterLink22.**You don't think they're short? Yay! O.o; ADD combined with the memory of a gnat isn't a good thing… o.o I'm glad that you had enough of an attention span to read and review my story though! n.n

**Suteki-Tenshi.**Thank you! n.n

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Um….I don't have any food to give out right now…but I do have a whole bunch of little sample things from various hotels I've been in! Choose whichever goodie you want! And try to guess the mini-sample I have next to this laptop right now! XD Hee hee.

You know the routine. Good reviews get goodies and flamers are used to torch certain _–cough-_ characters. .:evil grin:.

**

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A/N: Ok…there was supposed to actually be some action in here, but I decided to go ahead and upload what I had stored on the documents (I added a little more) rather than wait a month until I got my computer and got my internet set up. So due to the lack of action in this one, I had to put it in the next chapter, thus making this one "The Calm Before the Storm". Be prepared…for my first ever fight scene. It's gonna suck… Oh yeah! For all you Shippou-lovers out there, he'll be here in the next chapter!**

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See yanext time!

-Naomi


	14. AN: Gah! I'm so sorry!

…

Uhh…Hi?

-is beaten, burned, stabbed, shot, ran over, and such-

I'm so sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. DDD:

Okay, okay…first off: No, this isn't a new chapter. BUT, This author's note is soon to be replaced with it. I had half of it done already…about a year ago..eheheh… but it's gone now. D: My brother got a virus on MY computer that ended up wiping EVERYTHING off of it a few months back. Also, I've moved again since my last update.

Basically, life's been rather hectic…but…I'M STILL ALIVE! –shot-

Okay, before I post this next chapter though (which I have to completely redo), I'm going to MAJORLY edit several of my previous chapters…reading over my horrid writing from long ago makes me want to hurl. A lot.

…and in all honesty, I COMPLETELY forgot how I wanted this story to go. So, regarding any of my comments previously posted concerning the direction of this story, IGNORE THEM. I'm just gonna wing it…just write… Perhaps, eventually, I'll get swept up in a plot-tornado and this story won't suck so much.

Maybe.

Who knows?

But to all of you that didn't forget about me: HOMGILU, -hugggggggg- -insert about 8 billion hearts here-

Love you all soooooooooooo much,

Naomi


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